


You're too good to be true

by xxawalkinwonderlandxx



Series: We Found Love In An Airport [1]
Category: The 100 (TV), The 100 Series - Kass Morgan
Genre: Bellamy is just a really stand up guy, Clarke is stressed, F/M, Finn is out of the picture, SO MUCH FLUFF, and good riddance, but it’s a get together, i love it, some drinking, some language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-01-15 13:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 66,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18500227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxawalkinwonderlandxx/pseuds/xxawalkinwonderlandxx
Summary: Clarke's a single mom and she's exhausted. It just so happens that Bellamy doesn't mind helping her out.





	1. Chapter 1

“You weren’t an easy child to handle in the airport either, Clarke, but she did seem warm when the two of you left this morning. Did she throw a fit on the plane?”

“No, she was fine on the plane.”

Clarke sighs into the phone. Madi had slept the entire plane ride so Clarke should’ve known that it was only a matter of time before she woke up. Her mom was right, Madi had been feeling warm when they left and now, she was burning. Clarke had barely slept, she has a child wailing in her arms, everyone is looking at her with contempt as if she’s somehow a terrible person; she’s so stressed and worn out she can feel tears prick her eyes.

“I’m so tired, mama.” A tear slips down her face and she closes her eyes.

“I know, honey, but that’s life. Do you need me to send you anything?”

“A large coffee wouldn’t hurt.”

“You’re still at the airport?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I just ordered you a venti at Starbucks, it’ll be ready in ten minutes.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Of course, I’ll have groceries delivered to your house later. Love you, honey.”

“You too.” The call ends and Clarke quickly shoves the phone back in her pocket the turns towards Madi. There’s still tears streaming down her face, but she isn’t screaming anymore.

Madi leans her head against Clarke’s shoulder and Clarke rests her head on hers. “My poor baby, I know you don’t feel good.” She glances up at the clock on one of the pillars and decides to start making her way towards Starbucks. She lifts the duffle bag that also doubled as Madi’s diaper bag then lifts her child up higher in her arms. _If Raven doesn’t get here soon…_

It takes her longer than she expected to get to Starbucks considering all the people rushing around either trying to get a taxi or rushing to their plane. Once they reach the coffee shop, she sits down on one of benches and places Madi beside her. She isn’t waiting long when she sees her drink placed in the back of the ‘pick up’ area.

“Stay right here, okay? Don’t move.” She looks down at Madi who is playing with the strap of the duffle bag. “Will you stay here?” Madi looks up at her and nods her head.

When Clarke makes her way up to the counter, she has to wait for a worker to hand her the drink since she can’t reach it, but she keeps looking back at Madi. _She’s still there._ It takes another minute or so for the worker to see her and hand her her drink but when she turns back around, Madi isn’t where she left her. Clarke’s hands start to sweat, and her heart starts racing in her chest. _Breathe_.

“Madi?” She only had her back turned for one second! She had just checked on her, turned around to get her drink, and now she’s gone. “Madi!” Clarke places her drink on the table next to her duffle bag then runs out of the shop. Not the best decision but she can move faster without them. “Madison!”

Clarke weaves in and out of people, scanning everywhere for a blue dress and dark hair. She knows people are looking at her strangely, but she doesn’t care, she needs to find her daughter. _Please please, oh god, please._ “Madi!” How far could she have gotten? “Think, Clarke. What would Madi go for?” _Flowers._ Clarke turns on her heel and runs back towards one of the seating areas she passed that has dozens of colorful flowers. _Pleas be there._ Clarke skids to a stop as she hears, “Mama!” and her head whips around.

Madi is on the shoulders of a man with curly black hair, golden skin, and some very adorable glasses. He’s holding onto her hands, but she releases one of them to wave at Clarke. “Madi!” Clarke rushes towards the man and he leans forward, allowing Clarke to grab Madi off his shoulders. “Madison Daphne Griffin don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

“I sorry mama.”

“Oh, honey.” Clarke can feel tears slip down her cheeks as she holds onto her daughter. “You said you would stay put.” She pulls Madi in closer then lifts her up as she stands. “Thank you so much—”

“Bell.” Madi chimes in.

“Bell?” Clarke can’t help the little smile that makes its way onto her face.

“Bellamy.” The man says, but he’s smiling too. “But Bell is easier to say.” Clarke’s momentarily stunned by his smile, but she shakes her head.

“Thank you, Bellamy. I just turned to get my coffee and then—oh my _stuff_ , I left my stuff in the coffee shop.” Clarke takes off towards the Starbucks, aware that Bellamy is following behind her. Thankfully, her duffle bag and her coffee are still there, and she sighs in relief.

“Do you need any help?” Bellamy’s deep voice comes from beside her and she turns to look up at him. “Uh, I’m sorry, is that weird?” He smiles and rubs the back of his neck. “I help my sister out with her son, I just thought—"

“Up!” Clarke looks over at Madi whose reaching towards Bellamy. “Up.” Bellamy looks towards Clarke and she shrugs.

“I’m sorry, she loves riding on people’s shoulders.”

“It’s not a problem, do you mind?” _Well, he doesn’t look like a bad guy_. Clarke thinks for a moment. There’s something about him that makes her want to trust him, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. After a minute she smiles then looks down at Madi.

“Madi, what have we talked about?”

“Up, please.” She smiles up at Bellamy and he smiles back before reaching down and picking her up.

“I’m Clarke, by the way. I just realized that I didn’t tell you my name. Clarke Griffin.”

“Bellamy Blake.” He holds out a hand and she shakes it. “Coming in or heading out?”

“Just got in, I’m waiting for a friend to pick me up but, she’s late.”

“If you want, I can give you a ride, I just dropped one of my friends off then I’m heading back home, but I can drop you off wherever you need.”

“That’s really nice, but I’m going to Arkadia, it’s kind of a drive.” That, and the fact that she doesn’t know this person and it would be her and her daughter alone in the car with him.

“You live in Arkadia?”

“Yeah, why?”

“That’s where I’m headed.”

“ _You_ live in Arkadia?”

“Is that surprising?” His eyebrows raise up and he smirks.

“You just don’t seem like the type.” Clarke shrugs as she hoists her duffle bag onto her shoulder and grabs her cup of coffee.

“And what type would that be?” _The hot type_.

“Uh, were you serious about the ride?” She knows it’s a flimsy excuse as a change of subject, but he doesn’t say anything.

“I was.”

“Then let’s go.” She motions for him to lead the way and he smiles at her. As they walk out of the airport, she decides to call Raven and tell her there’s been a change of plans.

“Hey, Raven, where are you?”

“I’m still at the house, are you—shit I lost track of time, I’m on my way.”

“I figured.” Clarke chuckles into the phone and shakes her head. “Actually, I found a ride.”

“Are you going to take an Uber?”

“Not exactly…”

“Not exactly? Clarke, are you taking a ride from someone you met in the airport?” Clarke could practically see Raven’s serious face in her mind.

“He—”

“And it’s a he? What’s his name?” Clarke can hear some ruffling on the other end of the phone and some clicking from what she assumes is Raven’s keyboard.

“His name is Bellamy and he lives in Arkadia.”

“Wait, Bellamy? As in Bellamy Blake?”

“I—uh—yes? Do you know him?”

“Kind of.” Something in Raven’s voice changed and Clarke stopped walking.

“Rae, what do you mean by ‘kind of’?”

“Nothing.”

“You slept with him!” Clarke’s voice rose and it carried throughout the parking garage. Bellamy turned out and looked at her, his brows knit in confusion. She mouths sorry and he nods his head before turning back around.

“Yes, okay, I slept with him. He’s really good. But not my type.” Raven admits. “He’s a good person, you’ll be fine, tell him I say hi.”

“We’re going to have to talk when I get back, Reyes.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going to head over to Zeke’s, but I’ll see you tonight. Be careful.”

“Thanks Raven, see you tonight.”

After Clarke hangs up the phone her head is _reeling_. She shouldn’t be surprised; Bellamy has to be one of the hottest people in Arkadia and Raven is also hot. So no, she shouldn’t be surprised. When she reaches his vehicle, which is a slightly newer truck, he’s already buckling Madi into a car seat.

“You have a car seat?”

“It’s for my nephew. He’s close to Madi’s age.” Bellamy finishes buckling her in then turns around, motioning for Clarke’s bag. “Everything all set? Was your friend worried about you accepting a ride from a stranger?” Clarke smirks as she thinks about the call with Raven.

“Oh no, she’s actually surprisingly cool with it.”

“Really? That’s surprising.” Bellamy shuts the door then opens the passenger side door for her.

“Yeah, Raven says hi.” Clarke says as she settles into the seat with just enough time to catch the shocked look on his face before he shuts the door. In an instant he’s sliding into the driver seat, but he’s silent.

“Raven Reyes? That’s your friend?” He asks as he turns on the truck.

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for the past three years.” A lot has happened in her life over the past three years, mainly having to do with getting pregnant and having Madi, and if it wasn’t for Raven, she’s pretty sure she would’ve collapsed under the stress. “So, Bellamy, tell me about yourself.”

“Well, what do you want to know?”

For the hour-long car ride Bellamy tells her about his sister and his brother-in-law, his nephew, his decision to study history, he’s older than she originally thought but you wouldn’t guess that from looking at him. In turn he asks her about Madi, if there’s anything she loves doing, how she met Raven. Bellamy listens to her, not interrupting but filling the pauses she gives with his thoughts and she finds that she likes talking to him.

If he was surprised by any of her answers then he didn’t show it, but she did notice that he gripped the steering wheel tighter when she told him about the whole “Finn Fiasco” as her and Raven had dubbed it. Her best friend had been right, Bellamy is a good person.

“Then he wasn’t really a man.” Is what he says when she gets done telling the story. “No man would leave his pregnant girlfriend and soon-to-be child.”

“You’d be surprised.” Clarke snorts, but he was right. Finn hadn’t been a man, just a boy who didn’t know what it’d meant to be a man or a father, and she was actually glad that he wasn’t in her life anymore. And it’s not that she believes that Madi really needs a dad in her life, it’s just that Clarke isn’t looking forward to the day when she has to tell her daughter that her father left.

At some point during the ride Madi falls asleep and Clarke reaches back to try and feel Madi’s temperature. She’s still warm but Clarke is hoping that she can get back home, get her some medicine, and maybe a cool compress. Clarke can hardly stand when she has a temperature, she couldn’t begin to understand how Madi is feeling. _At least she isn’t screaming_.

“Is she okay?” Bellamy asks, his voice full of concern. Clarke rights herself in her seat and sighs.

“She has a little fever. She’s had it since we left my mom’s this morning, I just need to get her home.” Clarke sighs and leans back against the seat. The lack of sleep is finally hitting her and she’s finding it hard to keep her eyes open.

Clarke wakes up to Bellamy shaking her shoulder slightly. When she goes to wake up Madi, Madi grumbles and puts up a fight and Clarke pulls back, sighing, before picking up the duffle bag and asking Bellamy if he can watch her for a second while she brings everything inside. After she throws the duffle bag onto the couch Bellamy walks into the house with a sleepy Madi wrapped in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.

“I thought I’d try to help.” He whispers. “Is there somewhere you want me to put her down?”

“Uh, yeah, her room is the first one on the right.” She points towards the hall and he nods.

Clarke watches the two of them go. Madi had never taken to someone so quickly, it took months for her to not cry whenever Lexa held her but then again Lexa wasn’t the warmest person. The only other people she was attached to were Raven, her grandmother, and Kane, but they had been there all her life. _So, what is it about Bellamy…_ The man in question returns and she quickly tries to make herself seem like she’s busy trying to get some medicine together for Madi.

“I think she’s going to be out for a little while.” His voice is soft, as if he’s worried he’s going to wake Madi up.

“Thank you, for everything. She—” Clarke yawns, “she can be difficult.”

“Octavia was a very difficult kid.” He chuckles. “Come to think of it, she’s a difficult adult too.” Clarke laughs too, but her eyelids start to droop again.

“You seem tired, I should go.” Bellamy shoves his hands into his pockets. “Or I can stay until Raven gets back, just in case Madi wakes up.”

“No, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve already done enough, Bellamy.” Clarke’s phone starts ringing and she hurries to fish it out of her pocket and silence it before it wakes Madi up. “Hey, Raven.” She holds her finger up to Bellamy, asking for a minute, but he just points towards the door. She shakes her head and grabs his sleeve to keep him from going anywhere.

“Hey, is Bellamy still there?”

“Yeah, he is, why?”

“Zeke and I just got called in to work on our project, so I’d like for him to stay until I get back.”

“Um, any particular reason why?”

“You’re _exhausted_ , Clarke, I can hear it in your voice and I’m not there to let you get some sleep.”

“Raven, I don’t think it’s necessary—”

“Hand him the phone.” Clarke sighs and rolls her eyes before handing the phone over to a confused looking Bellamy. She just shrugs.

“Raven?” Clarke tries to figure out what Raven is saying on the other end, but she can’t. “You really want me to?” Bellamy looks towards Clarke. “Well, yeah, but I don’t—okay. Yeah, Raven, I hear you. Don’t worry about it, Reyes.” He hangs up and hands the phone back to Clarke. “She hasn’t changed.” He laughs.

“Nope, she definitely hasn’t changed in the years I’ve known her.” Clarke agrees. “What did she say?”

“She, uh, well, she told me to stay here and help you ‘ _or else_ ’?”

“’Or else’?” Clarke echoes before bursting out laughing. “Well, there’s no fighting her. Anything in particular you like to watch?” She drops onto the couch.

“I like watching the history channel.” He admits as he sits down on the loveseat.

“Of course, you do, Mr. History Major.” She teases as she passes the remote over to him. “You’re the guest.” Bellamy takes the remote from her and starts flipping through the channels. Before long Clarke’s eyelids are closed and she slips into the darkness.

When Clarke wakes up again it’s dark outside and when her eyes adjust, she sees Madi sitting next to Bellamy and he’s reading her a book. Madi giggles and Clarke smiles, her daughter seems better now.

“Mama!” Madi jumps down and climbs onto the couch.

“Hey, munchkin. Feeling better?” Madi nods her head. “Are the two of you reading a book?”

“ _Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece_ , I had it out in my truck.” Bellamy holds up the book and smiles. “We didn’t want to wake you.”

“Thank you, that’s sweet.” Clarke smiles at him. “I’m surprised Raven hasn’t gotten back yet, I’m sorry if we’re keeping you from your plans.” It’s nice that he’s stayed, and she enjoys his company, but she can’t help but feel a little guilty that she probably ruined his night.

“She called and said it was probably going to be a late night, and I didn’t have anything planned, probably watching T.V. and reading anyways.” He gives her a reassuring smile. “And I hope you don’t mind but I made dinner, Madi was hungry and a grocery delivery service stopped by with food.”

“You made dinner?”

“Well, we both did.” He looks at Madi who smiles up at her. “But don’t worry, we made sure to do the dishes too.”

Clarke’s heart leaps in her chest. He gave her a ride home, stayed to let her rest, then cooked dinner and was now reading her child a book? As far as stand up men go, he’s the best _. And he’s hot._ Clarke isn’t looking for anyone to date, quite frankly she doesn’t need anyone; she’s happy with it only being her and Maddi and Raven. But, looking at Bellamy and Madi…well, that’s something that makes her happy.

She knows she’s being ridiculous; she had just met this guy and he slept with her best friend, but Raven still seemed to like him. _Maybe…_ Clarke shakes her head, smiling. It also didn’t help her wandering thoughts that Madi really did seem like she could be Bellamy’s daughter.

“Well you’ve been busy while I was asleep, haven’t you?” Clarke teases Madi and starts tickling her, causing her to giggle. “You really didn’t have to do that.” She looks over at Bellamy who has an amused smile on his face.

“It was no problem, really. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good cooking partner.” He winks at Madi and she just beams up at him.

“Well, I’d like to taste this dinner.” She looks at Madi who jumps off the couch and takes her hand, dragging her towards the kitchen. They had made spaghetti.

“Well, that’s better than what Raven or I can do.” Clarke admits as she finishes up her last bite. She had been starving and she’s pretty sure she had spaghetti sauce on her face, but Bellamy didn’t say anything, he just took her plate and handed her a napkin. Madi yawns beside her and Clarke picks her up, wrapping her up in her arms. “Are you tired my little natblida?” Madi nods her head slowly and Clarke decides to put her in bed, again.

“Bell.” Madi’s voice is soft but Bellamy is beside her.

“Goodnight, little one.” He smiles down at her and Clarke’s heart does that little flip again. Both of them end up putting Madi to bed and when she’s finally down, they both tiptoe out of the bedroom and into the living room.

“You’re really good with her.” Clarke admits, shoving her hands into her back pockets.

“Years of practice. First with O, now my nephew…” he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s a good kid, you should be proud.”

“Yeah, she is. I am. But some days…” She can’t bring herself to finish the sentence, as if admitting it would make it real.

“Some days you wonder if you’re actually doing the right thing. Making the right choices?” Bellamy finishes it for her.

“Yeah. Exactly.” She sighs. It was something Raven couldn’t understand and she didn’t want to talk to her mother about it.

“I had thoughts like that all the time with O, it’s a lot of trial and error and hoping they don’t make the same mistakes that you did.” Bellamy looks her in her eyes, and she can feel her breath catch in her throat. “But I know that Madi is going to be amazing.”

“Oh yeah, and how do you know that?” Clarke gives him a lopsided smile.

“Because she’s got you for a mom.” His tone is serious, and Clarke can feel heat rise to her cheeks.

“Please, I’m a mess.” Clarke looks down, staring at something on the floor. “I lost her earlier today.” Clarke can feel tears prick her eyes. “I couldn’t calm her down when she was screaming. I was so tired.”

“Clarke,” Bellamy places his hands on her shoulders, and she looks up at him, “the only thing parents can do is their best, and that’s what you’re doing. Not all days are going to be good, you’re going to be exhausted, you’re going to want to cry, you’re going to get upset, and that’s okay. No one is perfect, but you’re _trying_ and that’s all you can do.”

“Thank you.” She sniffles and he nods his head. “Octavia must be a force to be reckoned with if you raised her.”

“Yeah, she’s something.” The smile he gives her is so full of love as he talks about his sister.

“Clarke!” Raven’s voice comes from the front door and it snaps Clarke out of whatever trance she had been in while looking at Bellamy. “Clarke, is Bellamy still—hey, Blake.” Raven smirks as she looks between the two of them.

“Hey, Raven.”

“You stayed late.”

“Well, you did threaten me.” Bellamy crosses his arms.

“Uh-huh, are you sure there was nothing…” Raven tilts her head to the side.

“Raven, how’s the project going?” Clarke interjects, trying to keep Raven from saying something that would ultimately lead to Clarke being embarrassed.

“Oh god, _Sinclair_ …” the conversation turns into a rant as Raven goes on about her senior project with her advisor and Bellamy smirks down at Clarke who only shrugs.

“Can I see your phone?” Bellamy leans in while Raven is busy shoveling spaghetti onto a plate and Clarke pulls the phone out of her pocket and hands it to him. He’s only on It for a few seconds before he hands it back and she sees his contact staring back at her. “If you’re ever in need of a good nights sleep again.” He winks and Clarke smiles.

“I might have to take you up on that offer.” He gives her a quick smile before turning to Raven.

“I’m going to head out, Reyes.” Bellamy calls and Raven stops talking.

“What, already?”

“It’s late.” He shrugs and Clarke can’t disagree with him there, it’s nearly eleven and she’s gotten used to going to sleep with Madi early.

“Okay, well I’ll see you later.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Clarke offers and motions towards the door. She doesn’t necessarily want him to leave but she can’t very well keep him there. “Thank you, for everything today. Madi really likes you.”

“She’s a good kid, and her mom is great.” Clarke blushes and Bellamy ducks his head.

“I enjoyed today.” Clarke admits. “You’re not bad for a stranger at an airport.” She teases and he smiles.

“Neither are you.” Bellamy looks at her and smiles slightly. “I should probably get going.”

“You’re right, it’s late.” Clarke takes a step back and clears her throat. He nods and walks down the steps.

“I was serious about my offer.” He says, turning around to look at her. “Anytime.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Clarke smiles and he returns it before getting in his truck and backing out the driveway.

When she makes it back inside Raven is still in the kitchen, cleaning off her plates, and she turns around when Clarke takes one of the chairs at the islands. Her day started with a screaming kid who had a fever and ended with a very attractive guy flirting with her? She thinks? Had he been flirting with her?

“So, are you going to see him again?”

“Probably not.” Clarke sighs.

“Did he give you his number?”

“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.”

“Well, are you going to see where it goes?”

“No, I don’t think that’s going to be a good idea.”

“That’s it? You’re not going to text him? Nothing?” Raven stands with her hands on her hips.

“I don’t think he likes me like that, and besides, I’m not looking for anyone.”

“Well it’s not looking if the person just dropped into your life, Clarke.” Raven points out.

“Then my point still stands, I don’t think he likes me like that.”

“Well, he does find you attractive and based on how close the two of you were when I walked in, I would say it’s not a stretch to think he wants to go out.”

“How do you know he finds me attractive?” Clarke tilts her head at her friend, her eyebrow raised.

“I asked him.” Raven says simply.

“What? When?” _When did that happen?_

“When I talked to him on the phone. I told him to stay then I asked if he found you attractive and he said yeah, then I told him that if he left then I’d make his life hell.”

“ _Raven_.” Clarke sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, but I did, and he gave you his number.” Raven grins. “When the two you get married, I’d like for you to mention me in your speech.” She teases.

“I don’t think it’s going to work.”

“Look, Clarke, he’s good with kids, he loves Madi, and he’s willing to do it again. Something you told me a while ago was that most people don’t want to be with someone who has a kid, but that’s not Bellamy.”

“You seem to think really highly of him.” Clarke raises an eyebrow at Raven.

“He was there for me when everything hit the fan with Finn, and he never expected anything. Like I said, he’s not my type but he is a good man, and I think the two of you would enjoy each other.” Clarke sighs and throws her hands up in the air before making her way to her room.

“I’m going to sleep, Raven.”

“Text him, Griffin!” Raven calls after her but Clarke waves her off.

When she’s finally in her room she throws herself onto her bed. She spent the past year not looking for anyone, not even thinking about anyone else, but then this stranger shows up at the airport and, what? She decides to take a ride from him before she even knew him? Who does that? She has a kid! She accepted the ride before she knew that Raven knew him. But he didn’t seem like a bad person then and after the past few hours, she knows he’s not a bad person. Could she really try to date someone now? Madi did seem to like him…

Clarke pulls out her phone and looks at his contact. _Bellamy Blake_. From what she’s seen today, he’s everything someone should want in a partner. He’s funny, kind, smart, and he has a heart of gold. _He read Madi a story. He cooked dinner. He did the dishes._ Clarke rubs her hands over her face and pulls a pillow to her. Could she really do this? She thinks back to the car ride and his smile makes its way into her mind. Without much thought she clicks the message icon and her fingers hover over the keyboard.

 

**Bellamy Blake**

**Clarke:** Hey, would you like to get lunch sometime?

She waits for a response, anxiety building in her chest, but she’s not waiting long when the three little bubbles pop up.

 **Bellamy:** Are you and Madi free tomorrow?

 **Clarke:** Yeah, we’re both on break. How about noon?

 **Bellamy:** I’ll pick you both up then, I know a diner I think you would both like.

 **Clarke:** Sounds good! Goodnight, Bellamy :)

 **Bellamy:** Goodnight, Clarke :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this may not have been the best but I had the idea of Madi being part of the reason why Clarke decides to give Bellamy a chance stuck in my head for a while. In the end I think it's cute and I enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoyed it too :)
> 
> You can find me on Twitter (@xfanwonderlandx) and on tumblr (@xxawalkinwonderlandxx)!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy takes Clarke and Madi out to lunch...and it also turns into a movie night!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few asked so here it is! I’ve decided to turn this into a multi chapter fic but I’m not sure if it’s going to be 4 or 5 chapters, right now it’s set at 4 but we’ll just have to see how the story progresses :)

The next morning Clarke wakes up to big blue eyes and dark hair and she scoots over, dragging Madi down beside her who giggles. Getting to spend a little time each morning with her daughter before they both have to get up for the day is what makes her days wonderful. 

“How are you feeling today?” Clarke asks as she moves hair out of Madi’s eyes. _She really needs her hair brushed_. 

“Good.”

“You sure?” Clarke wants to make sure before she brings her to the diner with Bellamy today. Madi nods her head again. “Then do you want to see Bell again?” At the mention of his name Madi smiles and nods her head. “Okay, well then let’s get breakfast.”

Since it’s break, Clarke and Madi hadn’t woken up until roughly 9:30AM which meant they only had a couple of hours until Bellamy came to pick them up. Walking into the kitchen with Madi on her back, Clarke sees a note on the little whiteboard attached to their fridge from Raven saying that she had gone back to school to work on her project some more and that she was going to stay at Zeke’s tonight so they could keep working on it. _Right_. After a little back and forth about what to eat, Clarke concedes and let’s Madi eat her pop tarts but she also has to eat some fruit. _Thank god she likes every type of berry_. 

It isn’t long until Bellamy is ringing her doorbell and Madi is running down the hall towards the door with Clarke following behind her. When Clarke opens it Madi practically screams “Bell!” And hardly gives him enough time to catch her before she’s jumping up to him. 

“Hello, little one.” The smile he gives Madi is infectious and Clarke can feel her cheeks straining from how big hers is. “Hello, Princess.” He says smirking.

“Mommy’s a Princess.” Madi declares proudly and Clarke remembers that Madi had placed a crown on top of her head while she was getting dressed. Madi had wanted to wear a princess dress but Clarke knows that there’s a very good chance of getting food of them, so Madi decided that Clarke should be the Princess. 

”I can see that.” The look he gives her makes heat rise to her cheeks and she looks away, opening the door wider to let him in. “Sorry, I know I’m a little early.” He gives her a lopsided smile which she thinks is absolutely adorable. 

“It’s fine, Madi kept asking when you were going to get here.” Clarke bends down to pick up Madi’s shoes. “We just have to get these on then we’ll be good to go.” Madi slides out of Bellamy’s arms and sits down, letting Clarke help her put the shoes on. Once that’s done, Clarke straightens and grabs her purse, and Madi’s diaper bag and jacket from the coat hook. 

“Got everything?” Bellamy asks and Clarke can see how excited he is even though he’s trying to hide it. She imagines she looks the same. 

“Ready when you are, Mr. Blake.” Clarke motions towards the door and he smirks.

The diner Bellamy brings them too is a hole in the wall and Clarke loves it, as does Madi. Inside, the walls are covered with paintings that range from abstract to hyper realism, even a few photographs, and when Clarke looks closer she finds that they all have price tags on them. Bellamy explains that they display local artists’ work to help them get exposure. Clarke wonders why she had never heard of the place. Madi is gazing at all of the flowers and vines that decorate the rafters and, on more than one occasion, has to be kept from grabbing at the hanging leaves. 

“I’m surprised I’ve never been here before.” Clarke says, still looking around the place. 

“Well it’s only been open for about a year.” Bellamy shrugs.

”But it seems like a lot of people know about it.” 

“People come for the food and stay for the atmosphere.” A blonde waitress comes up to the table with a box of crayons and some large blank pages and places them in front of Madi. “Hi, I’m Harper and I’ll be your waitress today. Can I get you anything to drink?” She takes Clarke and Madi’s order then turns to Bellamy. “Same thing as usual, Bellamy?” 

“Of course.” Bellamy smiles at the waitress and Clarke feels a twinge of sadness in the pit of her stomach. She can’t place it, it isn’t like there is anything wrong with him smiling at her, especially if she knows his name and his order already. _He just comes here a lot_. 

“That’s Harper, she’s Octavia’s friend.” Bellamy states, as if reading her mind. 

“She seems nice.” 

“Yeah, she is. Just don’t get on her bad side.” He teases.

”Why? Speaking from experience?” Clarke tilts her head to the side and quirks an eyebrow. 

“Once or twice.” He smirks.

”Alright, latté, apple juice, cup of black poison you call coffee.” Harper jokes, wrinkling her nose at Bellamy’s cup. “Do you know what y’all would like to eat or do you need a couple of minutes?” 

“Couple of minutes, please, Harper.”

”You got it, Blake.” She deposits her pad and pen into her apron. “Don’t let him fool you, he’s as devious as Hermes.” Harper says to Clarke with a wink and then disappears to tend to her other tables. 

“Hermes? Like from Greek mythology?” Suddenly she thinks back to the name of the place, _Demeter’s Diner_ , the goddess of harvest. _So that must be the overall theme of the place_. 

“Yeah, she’s just trying to scare you. I’m not _that_ bad.” The way he says it and the mischievous glint in his eyes makes Clarke think about what he must’ve been like as a teenager. _God, I would’ve loved to have met him_. 

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Clarke says, taking a sip of her drink. “So, what’s good here?” 

As they finish deciding what they’re going to get, and some debating between Clarke and Madi that ultimately got resolved when Bellamy sided with Clarke and Madi sided with Bellamy, a dark haired girl with piercing green eyes and sharp features stops at the table. By all accounts she is absolutely stunning, but Clarke feels like she looks familiar...her eyes drift over to Bellamy and it dawns on her. _This must be Octavia_. 

“Don’t you get tired of eating the same thing over, and over, and _over_ again, Bell?”

”Maybe I just like seeing your smiling face.” He smiles sweetly at his sister who just keeps glaring at him but after a beat her face spreads into a thousand-watt smile and she leans forward, wrapping her arms around her brother.

”I like seeing your face too, big brother, even if makes me nauseous  from time to time.” Octavia jokes before turning to Clarke. “I’m Octavia, or ‘Little Blake’ as some people like to put it.” She smiles and holds out her hand. Clarke shakes it. 

“I’m Clarke, and this is my daughter Madi.” Madi perks up at her name and gives Octavia a shy smile before moving closer to Clarke’s side and half-hiding behind her arm. “Madi, can you say hi to Octavia?” 

“O is fine, it might be easier.” Octavia leans forward, taking the white lily that had been tucked behind her ear and hands it to Madi. “Hi Madi, I’m O.” 

“O.” Madi says sheepishly as she reaches for the flower. She moves away from Clarke a little, not hiding as much. 

“So, have y’all decided on what to get?” Octavia pulls a pad out of her back pocket and a pen from behind the ear that didn’t have the flower. 

“O, I thought the reason why you opened the diner was so you didn’t have to waitress anymore?” Bellamy asks, leaning back in his chair. 

“I can make an exception for my _brother_ , Bell. Besides, what kind of boss would I be if I didn’t help out from time to time? We’re short staffed today.” Clarke looks between the two siblings and she vaguely remembers Bellamy mentioning that his sister had opened up her own diner but she didn’t remember him saying it was _this_ one. But it made sense on why he wanted to bring the two of them here, she knows he’s really proud of her.

”Let me guess, Ontari didn’t show up _again_?”

”Yeah, exactly.” 

“I keep telling you that you need to fire her.” Bellamy says, rubbing his eyes. 

“I know, but this was her third chance—“

”Her _third_ , third chance you mean.”

”I’m not getting into this with you now. We can talk when I _don’t_ have other customers. So,” she says, turning her full attention to Clarke, smiling, “what’ll it be?” 

The food is delicious and Clarke makes a mental note to bring everyone she knows here. While they ate Bellamy asked if she had gotten enough sleep, said it seemed like Madi was feeling a lot better, asked about her plans for the rest of the break, and in turn Clarke asked him why Octavia had chosen a Greek theme for the restaurant and he blushed and told her about his love for mythology had rubbed off on her. She asked him to tell her more and by the end of their lunch she had also drawn Phil the satyr from Disney’s _Hercules_  and Bellamy said that he was going to keep it along with the picture of flowers Madi had drawn for him. When they’re completely finished Clarke offers to pay for her and Madi’s meal but when Harper brings the check the balance is at zero. 

“I never ask, O just makes sure I’m always comped.” Bellamy shrugs but pulls out his wallet anyways. “Doesn’t mean I can’t leave a tip.” He smirks and Clarke reaches into her purse and does the same. 

“Thank you for bringing us here, we really enjoyed it.”

”I’m glad, I was kind of nervous you wouldn’t like it.” 

“Good food, good atmosphere, good company, what’s not to like?” Clarke says simply and she feels a little surge of pride that she’s gotten him to blush at her admission. 

“Heading out?” Octavia appears at their table, looking a little more disheveled than she did about an hour before. 

“Yeah, you’re getting busy.” Bellamy says, looking around. He’s right, the number of customers had nearly doubled and there were people waiting in line. “Do you need me to come back and help out?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Bellamy, I’m not going to let you leave your date because I’m understaffed.” Octavia says, crossing her arms. “I called in reinforcements, don’t worry.”

”Reinforcements as in—“

”Monty, Jasper, Atom, and Luna? Yeah.” Octavia sighs and look at all of her customers. “ _Open a diner_ , you said, _it’ll_ _be fun_ , you said.” 

“O, look at me, you’re doing _great_.” Octavia gives her brother an appreciative smile. 

“We loved the food, it was definitely better than any other place I’ve eaten.” Clarke admits, smiling. The fancy restaurants she had gone to as a kid have nothing on this place. 

“Well I’ll pass your compliments on to the chef, I’m sure Murphy could do with the good news. He hates days like these.” _Murphy, oh my god_.

”Tell him Clarke says hi.” Clarke smirks, wishing she could tell him herself. 

“You know John Murphy?” Bellamy looks down at her, eyebrows raised. 

“Yeah, we’ve known each other for a few years, I haven’t seen him recently but I remember hearing he got a job working at a diner a while back.” He and Raven had _something_  at one point but now they were just friends, she’s pretty much dating Zeke even if she won’t admit it, and last she heard Murphy had Emori. 

“Then I’ll definitely make sure to pass on your message.” Octavia smiles before pulling her brother in for a hug. “See you tomorrow, yeah?” 

“Of course.” Bellamy says as they pull apart. 

”It was nice meeting you, Clarke.” Octavia turns towards her, smiling. “And it was nice meeting you too, Madi.” 

“Can you tell O bye, Madi?”

“Bye bye, O.” 

On the way out, Madi grabs both Clarke and Bellamy’s hands and they swing her between them while she giggles. Clarke’s enjoyed spending time with Bellamy and she wishes that there was something she could do to keep spending time with him, but she doesn’t want to sound pushy or like she’s demanding for something more.

”It’s a beautiful day outside.” She remarks, looking up that the sky. 

“Yeah, it is.” Bellamy looks up too. “Do you want to go to the park? Or—“

”Park!” Madi squeals from between them. Clarke smiles at him.

“You read my mind.”

They go to the city park which is next to a big lake and it seems that a lot of other people had the same idea as them. There’s couples lounging on sheets, others playing with their dogs, and a lot of kids that seem a little too old for Madi to play with, but Madi usually sticks next to Clarke anyway. The three of them choose a picnic table under a tree and Madi immediately begins picking the wild dandelions while Clarke and Bellamy watch. 

“Excited for the summer?” Bellamy asks as Madi hands him a fist full of yellow flowers.

”Really excited. Don’t get me wrong, I love taking my classes but I like getting to spend every day just being with Madi and not having to worry about due dates.” Madi comes up and hands her a white flower she had found. Clarke decides to join Madi on the ground too and begins making a flower crown.

”No, I get it. I always liked when O and I didn’t have any school and when I wasn’t working, we would always find something to do.” Bellamy decides to join her on the ground, too. “Those are the moments they remember.” 

“Yeah, it is.” Clarke smiles up at him. “Everything’s kind of taken a backseat since she’s been born, I already told you that I got through one year of college before she was born, but I’ve tried to take at least two classes a semester since then. Once she gets into pre-k I’ll probably try and go back full time.” At least, that’s what she’s hoping, but others are dismissive whenever she says it. Like once you have a kid your academic pursuits just go down the drain. But Raven keeps her going.

”I have no doubt you’ll accomplish whatever you want.” Bellamy reassures her. “Anyone who says otherwise is just being mean.” 

“Thank you.” Clarke blushes. “What about you? Anything you’re looking forward to?” 

For the next thirty minutes they talk about what they’d like to do this summer. Bellamy says he’d like to go to D.C. to see the Smithsonian museums and Clarke says that that’s where her mom lives and that they could stay there and she’d be willing to give him a tour of the city. Then she blushes when she realizes that she basically just invited him to meet _and_ stay at her mom’s house but he smiles and says that he’d like that. Clarke finishes her flower crown which makes its way onto Bellamy’s head. They talk about what they want to do when they get done with college. Bellamy wants to become a professor and Clarke says she would like to become an art teacher though the thought of owning her own gallery sounds really nice too.

At some point Madi wanders towards the swings and Clarke pushes her in one of the baby seats but in the end Bellamy ends up pushing both of them and Clarke can’t help but feeling like kid. They end up wandering back over into the shade  when Madi decides she wants to play in the grass. After a while Clarke has to wipe the sweat off her forehead and she realizes that even thought they’re in the shade, it’s really hot. 

“Do you get some,” Clarke leans in and whispers, “ice cream,” so Madi doesn’t overhear. Bellamy laughs.

”Sounds good to me.” 

“Madi!” Clarke calls over to her daughter whose busy arranging a bunch of leaves. “Do you want ice cream?” 

“Ice cream!” Madi jumps up, her leaves forgotten. 

Thankfully there was ice cream at the little concession stand in the middle of the park and Clarke and Bellamy got into a debate about chocolate or strawberry but it all ended when Madi yelled “cake!” So Clarke ended up getting a cup of cake batter ice cream to share with her and Bellamy got chocolate so Clarke could steal a few spoonfuls of it. 

They walked while they ate, making sure to keep an eye on Madi as she ran ahead of them but came back for a bite of ice cream before running off again. Clarke said that she knew about Octavia, Lincoln, and August but she wanted to hear about his parents. He told her that his dad had died before he was born and that Octavia’s dad had been around for a while but he had died too, shortly after she was born, so his mom had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet which is why he had to take care of his little sister. Clarke felt embarrassed explaining her well-off upbringing when he asked, but if he was uncomfortable by it then he didn’t show it, he just told her that he knew what it was like to lose a parent when she said that her dad had died.

They spend the next hour or so at the park until Madi comes up to Clarke rubbing her eyes and Clarke realizes that it’s a little past nap time for her. Bellamy takes them back home and ends up carrying Madi and placing her on a makeshift pallet on the floor. 

“I had a really good time today.” Clarke says, trying to hide her blush by digging out some bottles of water.

”Me too, we should do it again sometime.” Bellamy smiles as he takes the water.

”Um, I’m not sure what your plans are tonight but I promised Madi a Disney movie marathon and Raven is supposed to be at Zeke’s. Would you, I don’t know, maybe want to stay for that? Or come back for it?” Clarke worries at her bottom lip with her teeth. She doesn’t want to come off as clingy, she just really enjoys his company. Bellamy seems to think for a second and she’s pretty sure her heart is going to beat out of her chest if he doesn’t answer soon.

”I have some papers to grade but, yeah, I’d like that.” Bellamy smiles and she lets out a sigh of relief. “Come back in a few hours?”

”Yeah, that sounds perfect.” Clarke could feel butterflies flutter in her stomach. 

After Bellamy leaves Clarke feels the overwhelming urge to take a nap, find an outfit, and call Raven all at the same time. She wants to be rested for when Bellamy comes back and she could only do that if she naps with Madi, so she lays down and probably gets about five minutes of rest before she decides to call Raven while rummaging through her closet. 

“Hey, everything okay? I was going to see if you and Madi wanted to get lunch but I’ve been holed up in the engineering building all day. ” Raven answers on the second ring and Clarke can hear some commotion in the background. 

“Yeah, everything’s good.” Clarke tries to calm her nerves but nothing is helping.

”You don’t sound fine, you sound anxious. What’s up?” _Of course Raven can hear that._

“Madi and I had lunch with Bellamy, and—“

”So you did text him!” Raven yells loud enough for Clarke to have to pull her phone away from her ear. “I expect to be maid of honor.”

”I thought you wanted to be mentioned in my speech?” Clarke jokes. 

“That too.” She can practically hear the smirk in Raven’s voice. “But how did it go? Why do you sound so anxious?” 

“That’s the thing,” Clarke grumbles while staring at a gray sweatshirt, “he’s coming back tonight to watch Disney movies with us and I have no idea what to wear.”

”The dark blue v-neck sweater that I love with your eyes and your black leggings.” 

“Are you sure I should go with leggings, though?”

”Clarke, it’s practically a sleepover and it’s at your house. Besides, the v-neck shows off your best assets and the leggings show off your ass.”

”But he’s probably going to be wearing jeans and—“

”Tell him that pajamas are necessary. Isn’t that what you and Wells used to do?” Clarke’s heart lurches at the mention of her childhood best friend. She saw him only two days ago and she already misses him. 

“Y—Yeah, that’s what we used to do.” Clarke sighs. “Is there anything else I should do?” Clarke asks, looking in the mirror. 

“Minimal makeup if you think you absolutely have to wear some but leave your hair down.” Raven sounds sure and Clarke can feel her heart slow down.

”Thanks, Raven.” 

“Always. But I want—Monty, be careful!” Raven yells to someone on the other side of the phone then comes back mumbling something about ‘newbies’. “Anyway, I expect a full report tomorrow morning when I get back.” 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Clarke smiles. “Have fun with your project and I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Knock him off his feet, Griffin.” 

After the call ends Clarke sets out her clothes for tonight then finds that, now, since she’s not a big ball of anxiety anymore, she really is tired so she goes back into the living room and falls asleep on the couch. For the first time, she dreams of someone with black hair and brown eyes laughing with her and her daughter. 

When she wakes up about thirty minutes later she realizes that Madi is already up and about to draw on the wall with some crayons shes pretty sure were supposed to be out of reach. When she finally has Madi set up at her little arts and crafts table, Clarke decides to text Bellamy and tell him about the pajama policy. 

**Bellamy Blake**

**Clarke:** Movie Night Rules And Regulations - pajamas are mandatory and snacks are welcomed

 **Bellamy:** Any particular snacks the Princess has in mind? 

 **Clarke:**  Anything and everything :)

 **Bellamy:** I’ll see what I can do :)

After dinner, Clarke and Madi have an early shower and Madi had just finished putting on her Princess nightgown when the doorbell sounds from the front of the house. 

“Who is that?” Clarke asks Madi, grabbing a brush from the dresser. 

“Bell!” Madi giggles as she runs down the hallway and towards the front door and Clarke actually has to jog to keep up with her. She stops at the door, trying to reach the door handle. When Clarke opens the door, Bellamy is standing on the other side in a blue Henley and black sweatpants and Clarke looks down at her own clothes and blushes. They’re pretty much wearing the same thing. 

“There’s my two favorite girls.” Bellamy smiles as he picks up Madi who wraps her arms around his neck and hugs him.  Clarke blushes even harder.  _Kind of soon to become someone’s favorite person after only a day_ , but she feels the same way about him.

”Your favorite, huh?” Clarke teases and she can see him blush. 

“I brought what you asked.” He smiles and holds up a brown paper bag. She’s grateful that he didn’t say ‘candy’ or else Madi wouldn’t have stopped until she got some and, well, giving a toddler candy before bed isn’t a good idea. 

Bellamy sets Madi down and she leads them to the living room, going straight for the pile of Disney movies that Clarke had set out earlier. Clarke watches as Madi starts going through the movies but she’s pretty sure she knows which one she’s going to pick. After some very intense decision making faces, Madi stands and holds up _Brave_ with a huge grin on her face. 

“Oh, my favorite.” Bellamy takes the movie from her and while Clarke tries detecting a hint of sarcasm in his voice, she doesn’t find any.

”Really?” 

“A princess who fights for her self, who has wicked archery skills, three little bears, I mean this movie is great.” He looks over at her and Clarke starts laughing. “What?” He asks, smirking.

”Nothing, I like it too.,” Clarke says between giggles, “let’s put it on.” She motions towards the DVD player and he slips the DVD in. “We’ve already eaten dinner but there’s some left over spaghetti if you want some.”

”Thank you.” Bellamy smiles then makes his way to the kitchen.

After Bellamy is done eating Madi makes her way between him and Clarke while Clarke struggles with trying to brush her hair. Throughout the movie they laugh and Madi makes sure to tell Bellamy everything that's happening, but he doesn't seem to mind. Usually, Madi is able to stay up for a full movie but Clarke assumes that since they had gone to the park earlier today, despite having taken a nap, she was really worn out. She fell sleep between Clarke and Bellamy about fifteen minutes before the movie ended and the two of them put her to bed again. Back in the kitchen, Clarke picks up the brown paper bag of sweets and smiles. 

” _Tangled_  and candy?” She holds up the bag and Bellamy chuckles.

”Sounds perfect.”

Clarke switches out the DVDs then takes a seat next to Bellamy, a little closer now that Madi wasn’t sitting between them, and Bellamy rests his arm on the back of the couch next to her shoulders. Clarke is in her early twenties, she thinks she would’ve gotten over feeling like a teenager on a first date at this point. Her heart is racing and she can feel the heat in her face so she busies herself by picking through the candy bag. She pulls out a couple of Hershey kisses and offers him one. 

“So,” she asks after they’ve gotten a little bit of chocolate into their systems, “when you were younger, what did you want to be?”

”Indiana Jones.” Bellamy says without hesitation and Clarke giggles before she can stop herself. He looks over at her and gives her a lopsided grin. “Something funny, Princess?” 

“Nothing, it’s just I can see it.” And she really can. When she thinks about Bellamy as a teenager she can see him not being able to sit still, always wanting to go on an adventure. 

“What about you? Anything you really wanted to be?” 

“A singer. I wanted to be an actress until I was in my middle school play and ended up running off stage because I got sick. But now, being a singer, I mean, I like singing but I think I prefer it as more of a hobby than a career now.” 

“You can sing?” 

“You sound surprised.” She teases and arches an eyebrow. 

“You always surprise me.” He murmurs. His eyes look like molten chocolate as he looks at her and she can feel her breath catch. “Every time I feel like I’ve figured you out, you always show me something new.” He rubs his thumb over her shoulder and she shivers. 

“Hard to figure someone out in one day.” She whispers back. Her eyes dart towards his lips then back up to his eyes. He moves in a fraction of an inch, his eyes never leaving hers. 

Kissing Bellamy is everything, and more, that Clarke expected. His lips are soft, he tastes like chocolate, and his touch sends electricity coursing through her veins. He brings up his hand to cup her face while his tongue skirts across her bottom lip. She gasps, and she’s pretty sure no one has ever been this gentle with her. It takes her breath away.

She’s not sure how long they’ve been kissing but when they break apart, Clarke can see that Bellamy’s lips are as swollen as hers feel and she’s pretty sure a goofy grin is plastered onto her face because he smiles back. He leans in a places a quick kiss to her nose and it makes her giggle. She doesn’t remember the last time a kiss made her feel this giddy and she feels like she’s almost dreaming. Bellamy wraps his arm around her and she leans into his chest.

They spend the rest of the night alternating between watching movies and kissing, but they never go further than that. At some point Clarke’s eyes begin to drift shut and the steady sound of Bellamy’s heartbeat lulls her to sleep with his arms wrapped around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m enjoying writing this and it gives me a nice break from the stress of classes and finals. That being said, I'm not entirely sure when the next update is going to be, maybe next Sunday? 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> You can find me on Twitter (@xfanwonderlandx) and on tumblr (@xxawalkinwonderlandxx)!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some innocent (but cheesy) flirting, a FaceTime call, and an unexpected day together :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bottom notes section has a rough timeline for when everything happened (from Clarke meeting Finn to when Madi's birthday is), in case you would like to have an outline!
> 
> I haven't been around a child that's supposed to be Madi's age in a long time but the last two-year-old I met actully spoke better than most adults I know so I'm going off of that lol

Clarke is startled awake by the sound of the front door shutting and when she opens her eyes, Raven is smirking from the other end of the couch with her head tilted to the side. It’s then that Clarke realizes that she and Bellamy had fallen asleep on the couch and she was currently draped over him with her head resting on his chest, one arm across his stomach, and her leg thrown over one of his while his arm is wrapped around her shoulders. Clarke rolls her eyes and Raven holds up her hands then disappears down the hall.

“’Morning.” Bellamy’s usually deep voice is even deeper and slightly more gravelly since he’s just woken up and she smiles.

“Good morning.” She props her head on his chest. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“S’okay.” Bellamy yawns and Clarke decides to maneuver her way off of the couch.

“Cup of black poison you call coffee?” Clarke asks while she stretches.

“It’s only black coffee, you know.” Bellamy smirks up at her.

“Yeah, but Harper was right, just straight black coffee does taste like poison.”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, Princess.”

“No thank you, I enjoy _not_ tormenting my taste buds.” Clarke sticks out her tongue then makes her way into the kitchen, turning on her Keurig. She can hear Bellamy chuckle behind her before he gets up and takes a seat at the island.

“Now that the two of you have untangled yourselves from each other,” Raven reappears in the hallway, causing Clarke and Bellamy to jump, “I’m assuming last night was good?” Raven quirks and eyebrow and Clarke glances at Bellamy who’s already looking at her, a small smile on his face.

“W—”

“I don’t want to know the details.” Raven holds up a hand. “I’ll just go with ‘ _yes_ ’ seeing as it’s already 10:00AM and y’all are just now getting up.”

“Wait, what?” Bellamy’s eyes go wide and he looks up at the clock on the microwave. “Shit, I’m going to be late.” He jumps off of the stool and grabs his phone off of the coffee table. “I promised Octavia I’d help move some furniture.” He walks over to where Clarke is standing and cups the side of her face. “I’m sorry I gotta run. I’ll text you, okay?” Clarke nods her head and he kisses her forehead.

“Be careful!” Clarke calls as he rushes towards the front door.

“Always, Princess.” He turns and grins at her. “Can you tell Madi I said bye?”

“Yeah, I got it.” Clarke gives him a smile and he nods.

“See ya, Raven.”

“Bye, Blake.” Once the door shuts, Raven turns towards the Keurig. “In that case, this is mine.” She picks up the cup of coffee and then turns towards Clarke, gazing at her over the rim.

“What?”

“Princess?” Raven is smiling and Clarke can tell that she’s close to laughing. Clarke rolls her eyes but she can feel herself smiling too.

“He saw me in a princess crown that Madi had put on my head yesterday.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No it’s not, you forget that I know you, Raven.” Clarke puts another pod into the Keurig then hops onto the counter, looking at her friend. “What is it?”

“It just seems like the two of you have really hit it off. Raven shrugs but Clarke waits, because she knows there’s a ‘ _but’_ coming. “But it just seems like it’s really fast and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Believe me, I’ve thought the same thing.” Thinking about it, in a few hours she will have met him exactly two days ago and, yeah, that’s really fast.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s a great guy, and I really want the two of you to stay together.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do, it’s obvious that you’re crazy about each other.” Raven smiles. “I don’t believe in soul mates, but I have a feeling that if there really was such a thing, then you would be each other’s.” Clarke can feel herself blushing.

“It’s only been two days, Raven, we’ll just have to see.”

“True, but I’m pretty sure we both know where it’s going to go.” Raven has that knowing look in her eyes and Clarke can feel her heart flutter at the thought.

Madi woke up shortly after he left and, honestly, Clarke was expecting her to be upset that Bellamy wasn’t still there but Madi only shrugged and said ‘okay’. Now, they’re sitting at Madi’s little table eating breakfast and Clarke is just finishing up her eggs when she hears her phone ding from the island. When she gets up to put her plate in the sink she checks it and it’s a text from Bellamy.

**Bellamy Blake**

**Bellamy:** So, Octavia wanted some painting done too

_Attachment: 1 image_

Clarke laughs at the picture he sent. He’s standing in the middle of a cleared out room with plastic tarps on the floors and a considerable amount of blue paint all over him. It’s in his hair and on his face and all over his clothes. _God, that’s going to be terrible to get out_.

**Bellamy:** How do I look?

Instead of answering, Clarke gets an idea. “Hey, Madi, look at Bellamy!” Clarke kneels down next to her daughter and shows her the picture. Madi goes into a fit of giggles and Clarke immediately takes a picture of the two of them laughing. She inspects it for a second and decides that it shows how they feel pretty accurately then types out a little text and sends it.

**Clarke:** We think you look fantastic :)

_Attachment: 1 image_

**Bellamy:** I think you look fantastic :)

Clarke laughs at his cheesy flirting and shakes her head. _Wow, we’re teenagers again._

The rest of the day goes pretty much the same, they text back and forth with a little flirting here and there. He’ll send her pictures every now and then when he gets a chance, either of himself or of his sister’s dog which leads to Madi saying “puppy! I want a puppy!” and Clarke having to say “now a puppy is a big responsibility”. Its early on when Clarke realizes that this is going to be a day where they don’t see each other, aside from the few minutes that morning, and she’s okay with it. 

Okay, well, not  _okay_  with it but she knows that they both have their own lives that they need to live and there’s only one day left until the break is over. The good thing is that there’s only two weeks left until summer begins and Clarke is really looking forward to that. 

Her and Madi go about their usual routine of drawing, playing outside, Clarke singing the ABC’s to her and Madi singing along, watching some Disney movies, Raven making origami animals that move and Clarke hanging them up in Madi’s room. But even with things as usual, her smile gets a little bigger and her heart does a little somersault every time she gets a text from him. Raven’s words echo in her head from time to time, about how she’s sure they’re going to stay together. She hopes her friend is right. 

Before long the day is over and Clarke is surprised at how fast it went. Raven takes over bathing Madi so Clarke can take a shower alone and then, just when Clarke was thinking everything was normal, Madi catches her off guard.

“Is Bell here?” Madi is already huddled under her blankets and her big blue eyes are looking up at Clarke expectantly.

“Bell is at home, baby.” She says, running her fingers through Madi’s hair. “He can’t be here every night.”

“Why?”

“Because he has his own home.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where he lives.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s an adult.”

“He can live here.”

“That’s not how it works, Madi.” Clarke should’ve expected this. Madi is still too young to understand how things like this work, and the sad look that she gives Clarke makes Clarke’s heart lurch in her chest. “I have an idea, stay right here, Okay?” Madi nods her head then Clarke slips out into the hallway and pulls out her phone.

“Hello?” Bellamy answers on the second ring and he sounds tired, but after moving around furniture and painting all day, she’s not surprised.

“Hey, um, is it a bad time?” She feels weird calling him, it’s kind of a weird thing to ask, but it would make Madi happy.

“No, no it’s good. What’s up?” He sounds more awake now and Clarke feels a little better. She quickly runs through what happened, purposefully leaving out that Bellamy could come and live with them, and when she’s done he chuckles on the other side. “So, do you want me to talk to her?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you could, I don’t know, talk to her on the phone? Or maybe FaceTime her? Something to help her get to sleep. Not that I don’t want you to come over, it’s just, I think you’re probably too tired.” She adds the last part hastily because she does want him to come over, but she’s not going to ask him to do something like that.

“Yeah, I can FaceTime the two of you if you want.”

“You will?”

“Of course.” The way he says it makes Clarke’s heart flutter and before she realizes it, Bellamy’s face is smiling at her from the phone screen. “Hello, Princess.”

“Bellamy.” She smiles at him then turns towards Madi’s room. “Shhh…” she wants to surprise Madi and he nods his head and places a finger over his lips. When Clarke walks into the room, Madi is still under the covers and she’s looking up at Clarke with ocean blue eyes, much like her own.

“Hey, Madi, I have a surprise.” Clarke holds her phone to her chest and Madi sits up. Clarke slides into the bed next to her. “Say hi to Bell.”

“Hi, Bell.” Madi smiles and despite how tired Bellamy looks, Bellamy’s smile is genuine.

“Hey, Madi, what did you do today?” Bellamy leans back against the couch as Madi goes into everything she’s done today and even asks Clarke to show him the origami animals but when she tries to get out of bed to show him all of the pictures she drew, Clarke and Bellamy tell her that it’s time to go to sleep.

“Mommy says that you have your own house.”

“I do have my own house.”

“You can stay here.” Madi’s tone is just so innocent when she says it but Clarke can feel her cheeks redden and it takes a lot for her to not hide her head so Bellamy doesn’t see. Her daughter had just asked this man, _who might be her boyfriend?_ They haven’t had that talk yet! When she looks at Bellamy, she can see that his cheeks have reddened too.

“Thank you, Madi, but I need to stay here.”

“But you’ll still visit?”

“Of course.” Bellamy smiles then he and Clarke both tell Madi that it’s time to go to sleep. She goes willingly this time and Clarke let’s out a sigh of relief when she turns the lamp off. After Madi goes to sleep, Clarke tiptoes out of Madi’s room and into her bedroom with Bellamy still on the phone. _What do you say after something like that?_ Bellamy had taken Madi’s statement in stride, and she’s thankful for that, but, god, she feels awkward now. 

“Sorry about that.” Clarke mumbles as she crawls into bed. “She brought it up earlier but I didn’t think she’d bring it up to you too.” 

“It’s fine.” Bellamy chuckles on the other end and she can see him moving down a hallway too.”

”Bellamy! Did you cook dinner?” Another guy’s voice sounds from somewhere further away and Clarke wonders who it is. “Is it—oh, who’s this?” The other guy looks over Bellamy’s shoulder and smiles. “So you’re the blonde bombshell from the airport.” 

“Hi.” Clarke can feel her cheeks redden again and she’s pretty sure she’s never blushed this much in her entire life before.

“Miller,” Bellamy sighs then glares at his friend. “Clarke this is my jackass of a roommate Miller, and jackass, this is Clarke.”

“Nice to meet you, Clarke.” Miller smiles. “You’re too pretty for him.”

“Really? I was thinking it was the other way around.”

“Oh I like her.” Miller grins at Bellamy and he just rolls his eyes.

“Go eat dinner and let me talk to my girlfriend _alone_.” Bellamy groans and Miller just holds up his hands in surrender then turns and walks back the way he came. “Sorry about that.” Bellamy grumbles then goes into a room that Clarke assumes is his bedroom.

“So, girlfriend, huh?” Clarke quirks an eyebrow.

“Shit, sorry, that’s something we still have to talk about.” He gives her a sheepish smile and she grins.

“I like it.”

“You do?” Bellamy’s face lights up like a Christmas tree.

“Yeah, I think I could get used to it.”

“So does that mean I’m now your boyfriend?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s how it works, but I could be mistaken. I haven’t had a relationship in a while.” Clarke shrugs but she’s loving the back and forth.

“Me either, we’ll just assume that’s how it goes.” Bellamy winks and it throws Clarke into a fit of giggles.

Despite how tired Bellamy seemed when she first called him, he kind of woke up while they stayed up and talked. Clarke can’t quite put her finger on it but there’s just something about him that she just can’t seem to get enough of. While they FaceTime she asks about his day and he talks about how a simple task of moving some furniture around in the guest room turned into Octavia wanting to repaint which then lead to her wanting to reorganize the study, and he’s pretty sure she’s going to have him do the entire house by the end of the month. Clarke tells him about how she isn’t looking forward to bringing Madi back to daycare but with the semester coming to a close she’s pretty sure bringing her to campus would be a nightmare even though her teachers are more than happy to have her there.

“If you want I can watch her during my office hours.” Bellamy offers. He’s hugging a pillow right now and Clarke is pretty sure he’s going to fall asleep any moment with the way his eyelids are drooping.

“Wait, can you actually do that?” She had never heard of that.

“I don’t know, but I don’t see why not.” He shrugs. “What time are your classes?”

“Noon to 2:30PM, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

“My office hours are 11:30 to 1:30 Monday and Friday so you could drop her off before your class and I can bring her to get lunch or something while we wait.” Bellamy yawns and hugs the pillow tighter. Clarke can feel a surge of affection threatening to make heart beat out of her chest of him, but she can’t shake the little voice in the back of her head telling her the same thing that a lot of other people have.

“You would really do that?”

“Of course.”

“Why?” She doesn’t mean for it to come out like that, it just sort of slips. “I’m sorry, that came out harsh. What I mean is, is that I love that you’re so willing to help, but why are you so willing? Usually guys don’t want anything to do with a single mom.” Clarke mumbles the last sentence, not able to look at his face.  She doesn’t want Bellamy to think that she’s ungrateful, like she said, she loves it, but you still have to wonder why.

”I told you that my mom had to raise me and Octavia on her own, so I know how hard it can be. I’ve practically raised Octavia since I was six, and maybe I just want to help.” He sounds sincere and Clarke chances a look at him. He smiles. “Besides, I love hanging out with you and Madi. There’s never a dull moment.”

“I’m sorry I sounded so harsh.”

“It’s fine, I understand.” Bellamy gives her a reassuring smile and the last little bit of anxiety that had been in her mind disappeared.

“How is it that a guy like you didn’t already have a girlfriend? What’s wrong with you?” Clarke teases and Bellamy laughs.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Bellamy raises his eyebrows at her.

“We’ve already gone through this! I have a kid, what’s your excuse?” Clarke raises her eyebrows right back and a boyish grin spreads across Bellamy’s face, making him look even more adorable.

“Maybe I’ve just been waiting for you.” He looks at her and she whistles.

“You’re smooth, Blake, you’re really smooth.” Clarke smiles.

“I’m glad you think so.”

The two of them spend the next few hours talking about whatever comes to mind and they both end up having to plug in their phones so they can keep talking. Despite how late it gets and how tired they are, they keep talking until they both fall asleep.

When Clarke wakes up in the morning, she’s greeted with a tired Bellamy eating cereal and she immediately wonders if Bellamy saw her drooling through the tiny phone screen. She knows from multiple pictures from Wells and Raven that she is not a pretty sleeper, but from the when Bellamy looks over at her and smiles, she figures that it doesn’t matter.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Bellamy smiles down at her and with his messy black curls and reading glasses, he looks young.

“Good morning.” Clarke yawns. “You stayed on the phone with me even after I went to sleep?”

“Of course.” The way he says it, like there’s no way he would’ve hung up on her, makes her heart beat a little faster. _You’re too good to be true._ “Huh?” Bellamy looks back at the camera, his brows furrowed and she realizes that she had said it out loud.

“I said you’re too adorable.” She fibs.

“I prefer the term ‘walking Adonis’ but I’ll take adorable.” Clarke rolls her eyes and it makes him laugh. “Unfortunately, I have to get ready soon. I told Harper I would help her and her boyfriend move today.”

“Do you always offer to help people?” Honestly, she had never met someone who was so willing to help _everyone_.

“I help where I can.” He shrugs. “Harper has always been like family so if she needs help then I try.”

“Bellamy!” Clarke can hear Octavia yell from somewhere off screen. “Bellamy, you better be up!” Octavia appears in the bottom corner of the screen as she throws open Bellamy’s door.

“Jesus Christ, Octavia! I thought the point of having separate houses was so we didn’t keep barging in on each other!”

“Not my fault you gave me a key.” Octavia crosses her arms and quirks an eyebrow at her big brother. “We told Harper—oh, hey, Clarke!” Octavia bounds towards the bed and jumps sideways onto her brother and picks up his phone, earning a groan of protest from Bellamy. “Did you just wake up too?”

“Uh, yeah. Late start.” Clarke tries to subtly fix her hair but, let’s be honest, there’s no taming that rats nest.

“I can see that.” Octavia says, side-eying her brother before turning back to Clarke. “Excuse us for one second.”

Clarke nods and Octavia puts Bellamy’s phone on mute. Clarke tries not eavesdrop but she can tell that Octavia is asking him questions, rapid-fire. At one point Bellamy leans his head back against his headboard and narrows his eyes at his little sister. Octavia smirks then turns back to Clarke, unmuting the phone.

“Crazy idea and last minute but would you be up for hanging out while the guys move Harper and Monty’s stuff? I think August would like to have some company and he’s close to Madi’s age.”

“Oh,” Octavia’s question catches Clarke off guard but she loves the idea of spending time with Bellamy, and Octavia and Harper are nice. “Yeah, sure. When?”

“In about an hour, I’m sure Bellamy can text you with the address.” Octavia smiles then stands up, elbowing Bellamy in the stomach in the process and he grunts. “Now, I have to go round everyone else up. See you in an hour!” Octavia waves then she’s gone.

“So, who else is going to be there?”

“Everyone.” Bellamy smirks.

“Everyone?” Clarke’s eyebrows crease in confusion. She’s only met two people associated with Bellamy so she’s wondering who ‘everyone’ could be.

“You’ll see.” Bellamy smiles and Clarke feels kind of nervous now. “But, hey, I have to get ready. Do you want me to text you the address or come pick you up?”

“Um…” _Would it be too much to ask if he can come pick you up? Not if he’s offering._ “I’d like to ride with you.” She says it almost shy and he grins.

“You are unbelievably adorable.” He grins. “Alright, I’ll be there in an hour. Would that be enough time for y’all to get ready?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

“Then it’s settled. See you soon, baby.” The way he smirks when he says baby is enough to make Clarke combust right then. How she met this very attractive, and very goofy guy inside an airport she will never know. _Though I guess there’s Madi to thank._

Clarke enters Madi’s room as soon as Madi is getting out of bed and as soon as Clarke mentions Bellamy, Madi is determined to do everything Clarke says at warped speed so she can be ready for when he gets there. It’s fun to watch really. Madi usually has a problem with getting her hair brushed first thing in the morning but today she sits perfectly still and doesn’t say anything as Clarke runs some detangler and a brush through her hair. She usually likes to eat breakfast slowly but this morning Clarke actually has to tell her to inhale between bites.

Bellamy shows up exactly an hour later and Madi wastes no time jumping up and giving him a hug, telling him that she missed him. After he puts her down, Bellamy leans in and gives Clarke a kiss that makes the butterflies stir in her stomach.

“Hello, gorgeous.” He murmurs and Clarke is wondering if he can’t see without his glasses because she’s wearing a slightly too-big t-shirt and leggings for moving with her hair thrown up into a messy bun and she doubts she looks anywhere near gorgeous. But, as usual, the words coming from him are sincere. He's dressed for moving in black basketball shorts and a blue Henley that looks like the one he wore to her house the other night, and Clarke can’t help but notice how nice blue looks on him with his dark hair. Like how good it looks on Madi with her dark hair and blue eyes.

The ride to Harper’s house is only fifteen minutes and when they pull up, Clarke sees that the house isn’t huge but it’s still big enough for a couple to live comfortably. When Clarke had first moved to Arkadia her mother had insisted on getting her a condo close to campus and it was ridiculously priced and not what Clarke had wanted. Then, when Clarke told her mother and Kane that she was pregnant, Kane had gotten her out of the lease and they bought her a nice, four bedroom house in the garden district after Clarke had also said that she didn’t want to leave Arkadia. It was bigger than what Clarke had wanted but Raven moved in with her almost immediately and now they had an extra room that doubled as Raven’s workshop and Clarke’s studio.

“Hey, Clarke!” Harper pops out from behind the moving truck as soon as Clarke hops out of Bellamy’s truck.

“Hey, Harper. I love the house!” Clarke is taken by surprise when the other girl gives her a hug.

“Thanks, yeah, we’re pretty excited. Want a tour?”

“That’d be great.” Before Harper can start towards the house Clarke turns to look for Madi and sees her in Bellamy’s arms, shying away from a big guy with tattoos.

“Oh, I forgot you probably haven’t met Lincoln or August yet!” Harper links her arm with Clarke’s and walks her over to where the guys are. “Lincoln!” The big guy with the tattoos looks over and smiles.

“Hi, you must be Clarke.” He holds out his hand and Clarke shakes it. Despite his size and the tattoos, which Clarke is pretty sure would lead to a lot of people judging him, he seems like a really laid back person.

“Nice to meet you, I see you’ve met Madi.” She motions towards her daughter who’s still shying away from him. “Madi, did you say hi to Lincoln?”

“Hi.”

“Hi, Madi. Do you want to meet my son?” Lincoln turns and scans the yard. “He’s around here somewhere.” As if on cue Octavia and August run from the side of the house with another guy chasing them. “There they are.” Lincoln grins and the love he has for his wife and son is plastered all over his face. August runs straight to his dad and Lincoln scoops him up and spins him around while he giggles.

“Hey, y’all finally made it.” Octavia greets and gives Madi a little wave. “Hey, Madi.” Clarke can tell that Madi remembers Octavia because she smiles.

“O!”

“August, can you say hi to Madi and Clarke?” His son turns and gives Clarke and Madi a small wave.

“Madi, would you want to play with August?” Clarke asks and Madi looks at the other boy. He’s a little younger than her, like Octavia had said, but after a second Madi nods and Bellamy sets her down as Lincoln does the same with August.

“You can go tour the house, I got them.” Octavia reassures then she’s following the two of them while they babble to each other.

“Clarke, this is my boyfriend Monty, Monty, this is Clarke.” Harper makes the introductions and the other guy smiles and shakes her hand.

“Do you happen to know a girl named Raven?” Monty asks and Clarke has a vague memory of Raven saying someone’s name and talking about the ‘newbie’ in her lab.

“Yeah, she’s my roommate. You work in Sinclair’s lab, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me!”

“Small world.” Clarke smiles.

“Yeah, it is. Her and Zeke are actually on their way, they stopped to get some drinks.”

“Oh, awesome, is there anyone else that’s coming?”

“Jasper and Maya won’t be here until a little later and neither will Murphy and Emori.” Harper says.

“Murphy’s actually coming?” Bellamy asks his eyebrows raised. Clarke is surprised too, honestly.

“It’s a house warming _party_ , of course Murphy is coming.” Monty snorts.

“Oh, a party?” Clarke hadn’t dressed for a party.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. We don’t drink how we used to.” Lincoln reassures her and Clarke has a feeling he means more of him, Octavia, and Bellamy rather than everyone else, but his comment gets everyone talking then Clarke feels Bellamy lean in close to her ear.

“Don’t worry, Princess. I got you.” His words send a wave of heat through her body and she turns to smile up at him.

“I don’t doubt that.”

He smirks. “Good.”

“Alright, tour time!” Harper exclaims then she’s dragging Clarke towards the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm loving writing this because it makes me really happy, I hope y'all feel the same way :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> Background information:  
> Clarke met Finn the summer before she started college (say around the beginning of July 2k15) because she wanted to move and find a job and they just happened to bump into each other. Clarke didn't find out that she was pregnant until early October, but she was waiting for the best time to tell Finn. Well, she told him but a week later found out that she was the 'other woman' in his relationship with Raven. So basically they both dropped him and moved in together that December because even though Finn was a POS, Raven wasn't going to let Clarke raise a baby on her own (besides, they're both awesome people so why wouldn't they be friends?) and Madi was born that following summer. The beginning of this story is taking place in April 2k19, during Spring Break, and Madi's third birthday is this following summer in June.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moving/housewarming party turns into just a nice get together :)
> 
> Sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors!

The house is just as Clarke expected, perfect for a couple and a kid if that’s what they want to do, though Harper did point out that while they would like kids, they’re not planning on having any  _just yet_. Clarke can’t blame them. It had never been her plan to get pregnant when she was eighteen but she wouldn’t change any of it, Madi is absolutely everything to her. After spending a little time with Harper, Clarke finds that she’s really sweet and down to earth but she can also tell that she has a devious side. They could definitely be friends. When her and Harper get back outside, the guys are busy unloading a very large bed and another car pulls up that Clarke instantly recognizes as Zeke’s.

“What the hell are you doing here, Griffin?” Raven smiles as she gets out of the car and holds up two six-packs. “I brought refreshments.”

“Handle the bed after a drink?” Clarke can hear Bellamy ask Monty and Lincoln and she watches as they both nod in agreement.

“Octavia invited me, figured Madi and August could play together.” She says as Zeke hands her a drink. “Hey, Zeke.”

“Hey, Clarke. Long time no see.”

“That’s because you lure my best friend over to your house with the promise of already-cooked food instead of coming over.” Clarke points out but they both laugh.

“I see you’ve already met Monty.” Raven smiles as the boys walk over. Another truck pulls up and the guy that Clarke had talked to the night before gets out. Bellamy’s roommate Miller.

“Y’all started the party without me!” He muses and Lincoln hands him one of the beers. “Ah, Clarke, nice to finally meet you in person.” Miller smiles at her then holds out his hand. “Nate Miller, but everyone just calls me Miller.”

“Nice to meet you in person.” Clarke smiles back then Miller raises his bottle in salute.

“So, what’ve I missed?”

Everyone stands around for a little bit talking about what to move next after the bed when they hear someone start to cry.  _Madi._  Clarke’s heart lurches in her chest and she darts towards the back of the house, Bellamy and everyone else following behind her. When she rounds the corner she sees Octavia carrying a crying Madi towards her.

“She tripped on a root and skinned her knee.” Octavia says, handing Madi over to her.

“Oh, my little _natblida_.” Clarke coos as she cradles Madi in her arms. “Let me see.” Clarke crouches on the ground with Madi in her lap and, sure enough, there’s a little scratch on her right knee with a little dirt and a little blood that’s already drying. Bellamy kneels down next to her and looks at the scratch. “We just need to clean it.” Bellamy nods and helps the two of them up. As they make their way back to the house Octavia falls into step beside Clarke with August in her arms.

“Sorry, I should’ve seen what was going to happen.”

“It’s fine. She’s accident prone.” Clarke assures her and the other girl gives her a little smile and nods her head.

In the house, Harper motions for Clarke to set Madi on the counter while she rummages through one of the boxes for the first aid kit. Clarke runs a little water over the cut and Madi watches, her tears having already dried and Bellamy firmly planted beside her holding her hand. If Clarke were to notice anything, it would be that Bellamy looks more worried about the cut than the two of them. It’s sweet. When Harper comes back with the first aid kit Clarke takes out some antibiotic ointment and dabs it on, humming as she goes because she knows Madi likes hearing her voice. A few dabs and one band aid later, Clarke steps back and smiles.

“Ta-da! All better!” Madi giggles and Clarke looks over at Bellamy who seems to have just had a huge weight lifted off his shoulders as he picks Madi up and swings her around in the air.

“That’s my little warrior!” He gushes and it only makes Madi giggle more.

“Wow.” Miller stops by the kitchen and stares at the three of them. His head is tilted to the side a little like he’s trying to figure something out that confuses him.

“What?” Bellamy stops swinging Madi around and looks at his friend.

“Nothing, it’s just,” a small smile crept its way onto Miller’s face, “she just _really_ looks like your kid.” Miller turns his attention to Clarke. “Are you sure this dork isn’t her father?”

Clarke can feel heat rise to her cheeks but she smiles. “Pretty sure, but I could see where that would be confusing.”

Miller laughs and takes one more look at the three of them before disappearing down the hallway. Honestly, Clarke has had the same thought multiple times over the past couple of days but she would remember being with Bellamy, there was no way anyone could forget something like _that_ , and she’s pretty sure he wouldn’t have tucked tail and ran if he found out she was pregnant. _Not like Finn_.

A second later Octavia comes in with August in her arms and he’s holding two pop-ice sticks and he hands Madi the pink one while firmly holding the green one.

“August wanted to give something to Madi to make her feel better.”

“Aw, well that’s very sweet of you, August.” Clarke smiles at the little boy and he ducks his head.

“Thank you.” Madi mumbles around the flavored ice.

The five of them head outside so the kids don’t get flavored juice everywhere in the house. Most of the other adults are sitting on a couch that has been unloaded and placed in the front yard. The sun is beating down on them now and it’s nearly stifling, southern humidity is not something that should be taken lightly.

“I can see why no one else is showing up until later,” Monty groans, “its way too damn hot to be doing this.” He leans his head back against the couch cushion.

“You’re the one who wanted to move everything today.” Zeke points out from his place on the hood of his car.

“Yeah, Green, the last person who should be complaining is you.” Raven is sitting on the ground in front of the car and between Zeke’s legs. A little shade is better than no shade.

“You guys know what we need? A pool.” Harper stands up and puts her hands on her hips. “Let’s get a pool.”

“Right now?” Lincoln looks at her like he can’t believe they’re supposed to move furniture _and_ get a pool and put it together.

“Why not?” Harper quirks an eyebrow. “It’s something us girls can do while you guys move the furniture since we’re obviously not going to help.”

“Obviously.” Monty grumbles and Harper nudges him in the shin, but she smiles down at him.

“So?” Harper looks around at the girls expectantly and Clarke is kind of thrown for a loop. She glances over at Raven who merely shrugs.

“Alright, let’s do it.” Octavia speaks up first.

“Why not?” Raven says as she gets up from her little spot in the shade. “What say you, Griffin?”

“Let’s go.” Clarke smiles and all the girls get together. “Wait, what about—“

“We can watch them.” Lincoln and Bellamy say in unison and, really, that says a lot about Bellamy considering Madi isn’t even his daughter and he’s already willing to watch her while Clarke goes to the store.

“Come here August.” Lincoln holds out his hands for his son who goes willingly and accidentally spills some melted Popsicle on Lincoln’s shirt.

“What about you Madi? Want to hang out with me?” Bellamy asks and Madi smiles wide, nodding her head.

“Alright, I guess that settles that.”

“Babe, can I take the truck?” Octavia smiles sweetly at Lincoln and he looks at her for a beat before sighing and taking the keys out of his pocket and handing them over, but not before getting a kiss as payment. Then Octavia turns towards the girls and holds them up. “Let’s go.”

The impromptu journey to the store resulted in all of them deciding to get the largest pool they could find and then of course they needed swimsuits because they hadn’t planned on going swimming, then they needed to get swimsuits for their children (which obviously takes more time to pick out since they have so many options), and _that_ leads to them deciding that the boys need swimsuits too. In the end, a quick trip to Walmart turns into an hour-long ordeal and by the time they check out they’ve gotten a pool, swimsuits, floaties for the kids, tiki torches, more drinks, stuff to grill, inflatable rafts and inner tubes…the whole nine-yards for a spring get together and probably one of the best ways to celebrate moving.

When they get back, the guys are still moving things into the house but they seemed to have slowed down since Lincoln and Bellamy seem incapable of leaving the children for more than a few minutes. When the girls get out of the truck, Bellamy and Lincoln are on all fours with the kids on their backs having a race and Clarke is pretty sure that is the most beautiful sight she’s ever seen.

“Mama!” Madi shouts first and the men stop and look before letting the kids slide of their backs and running towards their moms.

“Hey, munchkin!” Clarke bends down and catches Madi just as she hurls herself forwards. “Are you having fun?” Madi nods her head. “Well, I got something for you.” Clarke holds up the bag with their swimsuits in it and Madi smiles.

“This looks like a lot more than just a swimming pool,” Bellamy points out as he shakes some grass from his hair, then he slinks an arm around Clarke’s waist and kisses her temple.

“Yeah, I’ll say,” Lincoln walks over and presses a kiss to Octavia’s head.

“Well, it can’t be a party without a few extra surprises.” Harper points out as she unloads the tiki torches. “Come on, girls, we have some work to do.”

In the end, the girls refused any help offered by the boys because they are capable of putting together a pool _and_ watching their children, _thank you very much_. Surprisingly, the pool doesn’t take long to get put together; once the parts are laid out and there’s two girls working on each side, it goes fast. They’re already filling it with water and placing the tiki torches by the time the guys come to the back to tell them they’re almost done moving everything.

“The filter is set up and everything?” Miller asks and Raven quirks an eyebrow at him.

“I am getting a degree in mechanical engineering, I think I know how to set up a pool filter.”

“Don’t go there, man,” Zeke places a hand on Miller’s shoulder, “she’s terrifying.”

As a break, everyone goes inside for the AC and mills about around the kitchen, eating chips and eyeing the amount of food that’s been stacked in the fridge for later. The kids have been put down for a nap in Monty and Harper’s bedroom and Clarke can’t keep herself from eyeing the pool in the backyard. She has a small kiddy pool at home for Madi that she still needs to clean out but she can’t really remember the last time she’s been in a pool that she could actually swim around in. At some point Bellamy and Lincoln take out the meat and start seasoning it, Clarke has already had Bellamy’s spaghetti and loved it so she can only imagine what his grilled food is going to taste like.

“Hey, Clarke, can you hand me the worcetershire sauce from the fridge, please?” Lincoln asks from his place over a rack of ribs. Clarke hands him the bottle. “ _Mochof_.”

“ _Pro_.”

“You speak Trigedasleng?” Lincoln turns around surprised. Clarke shrugs.

“A little, my ex-girlfriend taught me.”

“I’m from Trikru, anyone I might know?”

“ _Leksa kom Trikru._ ”

“Lexa is your ex?” The way Lincoln said it, like he can’t believe it.

“Is that so surprising?” Clarke arches an eyebrow, a silent challenge.

“Yeah, but that’s only because she’s very…intense, and you’re not.” Lincoln sounds sincere and Clarke can’t really argue with him. Lexa had been very intimidating at first, but after a while Clarke saw a different side of her that she was sure no one else saw.

“I remember Lexa,” Octavia says as she enters the kitchen, “she didn’t particularly care for me or Bellamy.”

“You both met her?” Clarke asks as Bellamy returns from placing some of the meat on the grill.

“Who?”

“Lexa.”

“Uh, yeah, once at their wedding,” he says pointing towards Lincoln and Octavia, “she didn’t like me.” He gives her a boyish grin, like he takes pride in the fact that she didn’t like him. “Why?”

“I was just telling Lincoln that she taught me some Trigedasleng when we were together.” Clarke says, trying to gauge his reaction. She hadn’t told Bellamy that she was bi or that the last person she dated a girl, but she has a feeling that Bellamy wouldn’t care, though she can’t be sure.

“You dated Lexa? That’s…surprising, she was just so _intense_.” Bellamy’s eyebrows knit together and she laughs.

“I guess Lexa did come off that way, huh?”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Octavia grumbles and Lincoln chuckles.

“I left Trikru, but I still keep in touch with some people.” Lincoln says, turning his attention to Clarke. “Have you met Nyko?”

“Lexa mentioned him, but, no, I haven’t met him. Why did you leave? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I met this one,” Lincoln says, pointing to Octavia. “Outsiders aren’t particularly welcome and when they gave me the choice to stay there and break up with her or leave, I left. Which is another reason why I find it surprising that Lexa went against the unspoken laws and dated you, but with her being Heda I’m sure she could do what she wanted.”

“Yeah, uh, they weren’t too happy.” Clarke admits. It was one of the reasons why they broke up. The pressure on Lexa and the retaliation for her decision to date Clarke…that was something Clarke didn’t want to subject her daughter too.

“I would expect not.” Lincoln’s voice is soft and she realizes that he understands.

“Guys! I think the pool is almost ready.” Monty yells from the back door and everyone has to shush him so he doesn’t wake up the kids.

The girls pull out their swimsuits so they can change and they hand the guys their swimsuits. Octavia had gotten Lincoln a pair of simple black trunks with silver triangles on them and Clarke, with guidance from Octavia, got Bellamy a pair of blue and black trunks. Clarke hasn’t seen Bellamy without a t-shirt yet, but she’d be lying if she said she isn’t excited to see him. He’s hot, sue her.

As they finish up changing, Madi and August wake up and Octavia and Clarke take a few minutes to fit the kids into their swimsuits and fasten their floaties on. The water is cold and _very_ welcome in the southern heat. Raven and Harper have already started inflating some of the rafts while Lincoln and Bellamy man the pit and Monty, Miller, and Zeke throw the football around. Clarke has only met most of these people today but it’s already as if she’s known them most of her life. They all accepted her quickly and, if things work out, maybe this will become a regular thing.

“The party started early and no one told us, I see how it is.” A familiar voice calls from the side of the house and everyone turns as Murphy and his girlfriend Emori walk around the corner. Clarke doesn’t remember the last time she saw John Murphy but a smile breaks across her face. _Hopefully things aren’t awkward between him and Raven_. “Holy shit.” Murphy sees Clarke first and he swaggers on over. “Clarke Griffin, live and in person. I heard you like my cooking.” He smirks and Clarke can’t fight the smile that spreads across her face.

“Better than I like the actual cook.” She teases and Murphy rolls his eyes before giving her a hug.

“Clarke, this is my girlfriend Emori, Emori, this is Clarke Griffin, we met a few years ago.”

“Nice to meet you.” Clarke holds out her hand and Emori shakes it, but she notices that two of her fingers are fused together and that, along with her face tattoo, makes Clarke _really_ want to be her friend.

“Yeah, you too.” The other girl smiles at her.

“And this,” Murphy says, steering his girlfriend towards Raven, “is Raven Reyes. She’s a complete pain in the ass.”

“Many could say that about you, Murphy.” Raven remarks before giving him a hug, too.

“Mama, pool?” Madi points towards the water and Clarke picks her up.

“Yes, we’re going to get in the pool.” Clarke walks over and places Madi in the water next to Harper. “Murphy, you forgot to say hi to someone.”

“Hey, little hobbit.” Murphy leans over the side of the pool and smiles at her.

“Hobbit? Really, John?” Emori remarks, raising an eyebrow.

“What? She’s short!”

“She’s a _toddler_.”

“And toddlers are short!” Watching the couple go back and forth is entertaining and even Madi laughs.

“Here, have a drink.” Bellamy walks over and hands both of them a drink and they quit their banter long enough to take a sip.

After Murphy and Emori say hi to everyone else, Emori wastes no time jumping in the pool while Murphy helps the guys at the barbeque pit. Clarke assumes it’s going to take a while for Madi to warm up to Emori, since she still seems a little shy of Lincoln, but nope, Madi takes to Emori almost immediately and despite Emori’s tough appearance, she’s really a huge softie, like Lincoln. The girls all swim around in the pool for a while before the guys finally decide to join them. Clarke is leaning against the edge of the pool, lifting Madi up with her legs when Bellamy takes his shirt off and throws it onto a nearby lawn chair. Now, okay, ogling somebody shouldn’t be something that someone in their twenties does but good _god_ you would not be able to control it if the person looked like Bellamy Blake. There is just no way. Clarke feels her mouth go dry as he steps up the ladder and she watches his muscles contract as he leans forward before plunging into the pool. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was wearing sunglasses, Clarke is pretty sure she’d fe embarrassed at the amount of staring she’s doing. 

“You might want to close your mouth before a bug flies in.” Raven jokes and Clarke snaps her mouth shut. She hadn’t even realized it was open. 

“Raven.”

“I know.”

“ _Raven_.” 

“I know, but like I said, not my type.” Clarke rolls her eyes. _Not her type_. Zeke had already taken his shirt off about fifteen minutes beforehand and he’s ripped too. Of course it’s not just looks that makes a person, Clarke knows that, but looking like _that_ should be illegal. 

Bellamy pops out of the water and shakes the water from his hair, a boyish grin plastered on his face and all Clarke can think is how adorable he looks. He ducks back under the water an Clarke watches as he swims to where Madi is between Clarke’s legs and she moves them in time for Bellamy to shoot out of the water, bringing Madi with him. Madi screams but the starts laughing and it’s the most wonderful sound Clarke has ever heard. He sets her back in the water but she’s not having any of that.

“Again! Again!” Bellamy’s grin doesn’t leave his face as he goes back under the water and shoots back up again, intensifying Madi’s laughter. 

“Aw, no invite for the new pool?” Clarke looks away from Bellamy and Madi to see a tall, shaggy haired boy and a pretty brunette come out the back door.

”Hey guys!” Harper squeals from the pool. “I told y’all to bring swimsuits.”

”She did.” The brunette points out.

“Yeah but they didn’t tell us they’d be in use _now_.” The guy pouts and Monty laughs.

“Just get in,” Monty says, gesturing towards the ladder. “There’s people to meet.”

“Oh, I like people.”

After they get into the pool, Clarke learns the story of how everyone came to be friends. Jasper Jordan and Monty Green have been friends since they were children, they met Octavia in middle school and since then they’ve been best friends with Bellamy kind of being the protective older brother to all of them, then Monty met Harper in high school but they didn’t get together until a couple of years ago, then Jasper met Maya, Bellamy had been Miller and Murphy’s roommate at one point when he started college, and Octavia met Lincoln at a coffee shop when he needed to borrow a highlighter, and, well, the rest is history. 

When Harper asks about how Clarke and Raven met the two girls look at each other and smile. It’s not a pleasant story, but the two of them didn’t just dump Finn, Raven decided to make his life hell for what he did to Clarke. 

“You tell them, I told the story last.”

“I thought I did?”

“Nope, I told Bellamy.” 

“If this is the type of story where y’all need to decide who gets to tell it, then I’m excited to hear it.” Emori smirks before leaning over the side of the pool and pulling another bottle out of the ice chest. 

“Okay, so...” Raven begins and Clarke notices how everyone starts hanging on her every word. 

In the end, everyone at the pool has agreed on one thing: Finn is a asshole. 

“Seriously, he got both of you and he does that?” Harper looks completely dumbstruck. 

“Yeah, he’s an idiot.” Octavia agrees.

“I’m glad he was an idiot.” Zeke says, smiling down at Raven. “You were way too good for him.” 

“Thanks, babe.” 

“You are too.” Bellamy is relaxing against the side of the pool next to Clarke and the air from his breath on her wet neck makes goosebumps rise up. 

“Thank you.” Clarke blushes and he gives her a chaste kiss. 

“Food’s ready!” Lincoln calls from the barbecue pit and everyone gets out. 

They all decide to eat outside since they’re dripping wet and, Clarke has to admit, the food is _very_ good. If anything she’s going to have to kidnap Bellamy and hold him so he can always cook for her. It’s absolutely amazing. The guys finish first and they decide to finish bringing in the furniture, which wasn’t much, just a couple of boxes and another dresser. 

Its getting towards evening time and a few of them are more than a bit buzzed, but Clarke, Octavia, Lincoln, and Bellamy have all limited their alcohol intake since they still have the kids to take care of. After Madi finishes her plate Clarke can start to see her head drooping, her little girl is tired. Clarke brings her inside and changed her out of her swimsuit, despite Madi’s protest that she’s not tired and wants to swim more. After she’s changed, Clarke goes back outside with Madi resting her head on her shoulder. 

“Hey, is she tired?” Bellamy appears by her side. 

“Yeah, I think we’re going to head home.” 

“Aw, you can’t go,” Harper says from her place in Monty’s lap. “We have a guest room if you want to put her to sleep in there.” 

“Oh, we couldn’t—“

“It’s no problem, really.” Harper gives her a reassuring smile.

“Be our guest.” Monty continues which then leads Jasper into a hilarious rendition of the song from Beauty and the Beast while Clarke and Bellamy put Madi to sleep upstairs. 

Later on, all of them are sitting around talking when Monty decides to pull out a guitar. 

“You play?” Clarke asks, eyeing his Taylor. It’s a beautiful guitar.

”Yeah, a little.” 

“He’s being modest, he used to be in a band.” Harper says, which causes Monty to blush.

“It was three people and we didn’t have a singer, I wouldn’t exactly call it a band.” Octavia points out and Clarke’s eyebrows raise.

“You were in a band together?” 

“Yep, Monty on guitar, I played the drums, and Jasper had the triangle.” 

“I was a _very_ good triangle.” Jasper smiles.

“Clarke can sing.” Raven interjects and Clarke is silently cursing her friend right now. She can sing but no one outside of her immediate family has heard her sing, much less a group of people she just met. 

“What do you say, Clarke? You up for it?” Month is looking at her with an eyebrow raised and a pick already in his hand. 

“Sure, why not.” Maybe it’s the alcohol talking but Clarke decides to give it a shot.

”Cool, any recommendations?” Monty looks around at their friends. _Their friends_. Clarke had just thought _their friends_. 

“Ooh, I like “Viva La Vida”,” Harper pipes up and Monty gives her a knowing smile. 

Monty’s fingers move across the strings and Clarke closes her eyes, letting the familiar tug in her chest move her in time with the beat. 

" _I used to rule the world_  
seas would rise when I gave the word  
now in the morning, I sleep alone  
sweep the streets I used to own..."

When the song is over they both get a round of applause and Raven winks at Clarke. She knows that Raven likes her voice, but Clarke still feels a little embarrassed with everyone congratulating her. Bellamy brings his hand up and rubs her back, calming her down.

"You really can sing, Princess." He smirks and Clarke can see the brightness in his eyes as he looks at her.

"I told you." 

"Yes, you did." He smiles before leaning over and pressing a kiss to her lips.

For the rest of the night everyone just sits around talking and at some point Cards Against Humanity gets brought out and it's more a task of keeping everyone from shouting so they don't wake up the kids as opposed to actually paying attention to the game, but it's still fun. Lincoln and Octavia leave before long, saying that they need to be up somewhat early in the morning, then Raven and Zeke, and then Bellamy and Clarke. Getting Madi up and into her carseat is usually a bigger hassle than it should be but Clarke thinks the reason why she isn't putting up much of a fight is because Bellamy was the one to pick her up.

They ride back to her house in silence, but that's mostly due to the fact that Clarke feels like she's ready to pass out she's so tired, but she's not tired enough to _not_ feel a surge of electricity flow through her body when Bellamy reaches over and laces his fingers with hers. His hands are so big and she can feel the callouses on them from all of the work he's had to do throughout his life. She looks over and he raises her hand to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. It's so sweet, Clarke feels like she's almost going to start crying. Once again, Bellamy helps her put Madi to sleep and Clarke feels a surge of affection in her chest. He's just so good with her, and it's clear that Madi already adores him. When they move back into the living room Bellamy yawns and Clarke feels bad that he's going to have to drive back home so late.

"Do you live far?" She shoves her hands in her back pockets, worried she's about to step over a line.

"About twenty minutes," he says before he yawns again.

"Do you think you'll be fine to make it back?"

"Worried about me, Princess?" He asks through half-lidded eyes as he wraps an arm around her waist. She can see how tired he is.

"Maybe."

" _Maybe_." He echoes before leaning down to give her a kiss.

"You don't have to go home." She whispers when they break apart. Between the heat of his body seeping through her shirt and how close he is, Clarke is pretty sure her heart is going to beat out of her chest with what she's about to say. "You could stay here."

"Would you want me to?" He seems unsure and as a response Clarke takes his hand and leads him towards her bedroom. 

“Would you settle for just sleeping?” She asks once she closes the door behind them. 

“Of course.” Despite the lack of light, Clarke can still see his bright smile and it sends the little butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. She tells him she’s going to change real quick then disappears into her bathroom and when she comes back she throws him an old _Washington D.C._ T-shirt that’s always been way too big for her for him to change into and tells him he can sleep in boxers if it makes him more comfortable. 

She takes her usual place in bed, the right side, then pats the space next to her. He changes shirts quickly then slips under the covers beside her, opening his arms for her to move into. She rests her head on his shoulder and throws an arm cross his side as he wraps both of his arms around her.

”Goodnight, Princess.” His voice has already taken on a more gruff sound and she knows he close to passing out, but he still presses a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Goodnight, Bellamy.” She snuggles in closer to him and kisses the left side of his chest. A contented hum causes his chest to vibrate and she smiles.

 _Oh, I could get used to this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a little longer to update!  
> I was kidding myself when I thought it was only going to be 4 or 5 chapters. I'm thinking 10 is a nice number now.
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke has classes and Bellamy watches Madi, and an impromptu dinner :)
> 
> I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes!

When Clarke wakes up in the morning, she vaguely remembers an alarm going off that morning and Bellamy whispering in her ear, but since she was still practically comatose she thought she had been dreaming. Now, when she opens her eyes, she sees that she’s migrated to the spot where Bellamy had slept. Bellamy nowhere in sight. She checks the clock and sees that it’s only 7:00AM. _Mmm…just a little longer_. She closes her eyes just as the door to her bedroom opens.

“Mama?” Clarke listens as Madi’s little footsteps get closer to the bed and when they stop, Clarke opens her eyes. Madi’s similar blue eyes can barely look over the bed. “Mama.” Clarke reaches over and pulls Madi up with her. Madi almost immediately goes back to sleep and Clarke does the same, but this time there’s no Bellamy beside her.

Her alarm goes off at exactly 9:00AM and Clarke is grateful for the couple extra hours of sleep. She’s going to have to take a shower before heading to class and she’s going to have to give Madi a bath too. Clarke runs her hand over her face, willing herself to get up. Madi is still asleep beside her and Clarke wonders how her daughter can sleep through pretty much anything. When Clarke rolls out of bed as her phone chimes with a new message and her heart skips a beat at the thought of it being from Bellamy.

_Good morning, beautiful. I’ll see you in a few hours :)_

Yep. Her heart definitely skipped a beat or two.

_Yes, yes you will :)_

Clarke takes a quick shower before waking Madi up and getting her ready for the day too. Her plan is to get Madi up, fed, dressed, and the two of them on campus for 12:00PM. She’ll be amazed if she can do that. Once Madi is eating breakfast at the little table, Clarke takes the time to put together a little bag for her so she can have stuff to keep her occupied while she’s sitting in Bellamy’s office. _She’s going to take a nap around then too_.

In the end, Clarke has managed to condense Madi’s stuff down into one bag while also accounting for anything that may happen while also chasing Madi around the house. Letting her sleep in for a little longer was a bad idea. Clarke packs everything into the car and gets Madi wrestled into her car seat then they’re off towards campus. _At least Madi likes campus_. Before long, they’re parking in one of the commuter lots and Clarke decides to call Bellamy to see where his office is at.

“Hello, Princess.” She can practically hear the smirk in his voice.

“Hey, we’re here!” Clarke can barely contain her excitement at getting to see him. She has got it _bad._

“Oh, I’ll come meet y’all. Where did you park?”

“Stadium commuter lot.”

“My office is in the quad, I’ll be right there.”

“Okay, see you in a minute.”

“Yes, you will, Princess.” The line goes dead and Clark grins at him using her words. One thing about parking by the stadium is the damn _hill_ that has to be climbed in order to get to the quad. Good thing she’s made this walk a few times, though not with this much stuff. She sees Bellamy immediately once he gets to the top of the hill. He smiles as soon as his eyes land on them and he jogs down to help her. Seeing Bellamy in a button up with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and slacks on is _really_ something to look at. Clarke is pretty sure he’s what some college girls’ dreams are made of.

“Bell!” Madi squeals and starts leaning towards him. Thankfully he realizes that Clarke wouldn’t be able to hold onto her for too much longer if she keeps doing that and he takes Madi from her arms.

“Hey, kiddo.” He lifts her up with ease. “Hey, babe.” He leans over and gives Clarke a quick kiss before taking Madi’s toy bag from her. Clarke sighs in relief.

“Hey,” Clarke smiles up at him. “You didn’t have to meet us, I know there’s probably a lot of students coming to talk to you.”

He leans down and whispers close to her ear. “But the two of you are more important.”

His office is in a building Clarke hasn’t been in since her first semester. It looks somewhat newer than the other buildings. _Definitely a lot better than the art buildings_. When they walk into his office, Clarke wonders if it’s similar to how his house would look. There’s a full wall of bookshelves that are practically overflowing, an old typewriter, postcards of places from around the world, and another stack of books at the edge of the desk with a small couch in the corner of the room.

“Wow.” Clarke hasn’t been to his house, but this room just _screams_ Bellamy.

“It’s kind of cramped, but I try and make do.” He places the toy bag onto the couch then sets Madi down. She immediately starts wandering.

“I hope you put some stuff up, she’ll get into everything.” Clarke smiles as she watches her daughter examine the room. The first place she goes is to the book shelves, but instead of pulling all of the books out, she just touches the spines.

“Yeah, I baby-proofed it for August.”

“Bellamy!” Another girls voice sounds from the hallway and Clarke nearly jumps. Madi definitely does jump though, and since Bellamy is closer she runs towards him and holds onto his pants leg. “Bellamy, where—oh, I didn’t realize you have company.” The girl in Bellamy’s doorway has dark hair, brown eyes, and sharp features that makes Clarke grateful for her softness.

“I do.” While Bellamy’s voice isn’t harsh, it doesn’t have the same tone he uses for Clarke, or Madi, or his friends. “Echo, this is my girlfriend Clarke, and her daughter Madi, girls, this is my colleague Echo.” The woman, Echo, looks from Bellamy to Madi, then to Clarke. She doesn’t seem like she’s happy. _Maybe she never is._ Clarke pushes aside her thoughts and walks towards the other girl. She’s Bellamy’s coworker so she’s going to make a good first impression.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Clarke holds out her hand and the other girl looks at it for a second, like it’s something she really doesn’t want to have to touch, but then she gives it a firm shake before turning back to Bellamy.

“We really have to go over the project grades before the final.”

“Echo, we have a week.” Bellamy crosses his arms and leans against his desk, but Madi is still holding onto his pants leg. Bellamy notices and leans down, picking Madi up and cradling her in his arms. Clarke can hear the clocktower chime the time and she looks down at her watch. _Fifteen minutes to get to class._

“Oh, I should head out.” She moves towards Bellamy and Madi and leans forward, moving some hair out of Madi’s face. “I’ll be back soon, okay? Will you be good for Bellamy?” Madi nods her head and Clarke presses a kiss to her forehead. Turning to Bellamy, she gives him a grateful smile, “thank you.”

“Of course. I’ll see you when you get out of class,” Bellamy smiles and gives her a wink. Clarke is actually kind of grateful that they didn’t kiss in front of his coworker, it’s already awkward enough as it is.

Clarke has to squeeze herself past Echo, since it’s clear that the other woman is certainly not going to move, and it takes a lot of Clarke’s willpower to not ‘accidentally’ bump into her. Echo watches her as Clarke moves past her, staring down her nose like Clarke is something she’d like to crush under her heels. _Honestly, who wears heels to campus?_

During Clarke’s two classes she can’t focus. Her mind keeps wandering to how Madi is doing and to the Echo girl. It’s not that the woman isn’t pretty, she is, if you’re into the sharp features and eyes that look like they’re staring into your soul, but Clarke can’t help but feel like there’s something between her and Bellamy. Whether it’s real or not. _Right, because that makes sense._ The way Echo looked at her and the way she looked at Bellamy makes Clarke wonder if the other girl wishes there was something more. Still, Clarke can’t help but feel a little smug that Bellamy introduced her as his girlfriend.

At some point towards the end of her first class, Clarke texts Bellamy and asks how Madi is doing and Bellamy actually chastises her for texting during class. Clarke has to try to hide her laughter but Niylah, her classmate, notices and nudges her right before the teacher walks by. Clarke focuses back on her painting, well, she _tries_ , and she makes it through her first class but she wonders how she’s going to make it through her second…

An hour later, which is an hour that Clarke hadn’t absorbed anything, Clarke makes her way back to Bellamy’s office. He had texted her between her two classes to let her know that he was going to put Madi down for a nap and then they could all go and get something to eat if Clarke was hungry. When she makes it to the third floor, it’s deserted except for a few hushed voices coming from a cracked door. Now, Clarke isn’t one to eavesdrop but when she realizes that it’s Bellamy and his coworker, Clarke stops.

“She’s a little young for you, don’t you think?” Echo hisses and Clarke feels like her heart has stopped.

“It’s a five-year age gap, Echo, it’s nothing.”

“She has a _kid_ , Bellamy, that’s a mess you should stay out of!” Echo’s voice is barely above a whisper but the amount of malice in her words makes it seem like a scream in Clarke’s ears.

“Listen, you don’t know Clarke and you don’t know her daughter. I’m not going to sit here and let you make assumptions and come to the wrong conclusions about a woman you don’t know, and an innocent child, out of _jealousy_.” Bellamy’s voice has so much acid in it that Clarke is actually surprised it’s the same person she talked to only two hours ago. “I’ll be damned if you’re going to try and wreck my relationship—”

“ _Bellamy_ —”

“—all because you can’t stand the thought of me being happy with someone because that someone isn’t _you_.” _So, there is something there_. “We have a work relationship, Echo, a good work relationship, and that’s how it’s going to stay.”

“ _Get out_.”

Clarke takes that as her cue to sprint towards Bellamy’s office as quietly as she can before someone sees her. When she gets into the office she can see Madi still fast sleep on the couch with Bellamy’s coat draped across her, and she has just enough time to sit in a chair by the desk before Bellamy walks in.

“Hey.” His face brightens when he sees her, any trace of that unpleasant conversation is gone.

“Hey, you okay?” She asks before thinking and she watches his eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Um, just wondering…” Clarke busies herself by looking at the globe on the corner of his desk.

“Princess, did you eavesdrop on my conversation?” His tone doesn’t sound upset, so she looks up at him. He’s smirking.

“Maybe.”

“ _Maybe.”_ The smirk doesn’t leave his face as he walks towards her, placing a hand on his desk and the back of her chair. Leaning down to where their noses are almost touching.

“Did you date her?” Clarke has a few questions that need to be clarified, but she’s pretty sure her heart is going to pop out of her chest before she can finish them.

“No, there’s never been anything like that between us.”

“So her feelings aren’t reciprocated?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Are you sure you want to get into this mess?” Clarke brings her eyes up to meet his and she watches as his soften. “Most people…” She trails off. The little voice in the back of her head saying that there’s no way he could possibly be okay with doing this.

“This isn’t a _mess_ , Clarke. It’s life.” He leans in a little closer, rubbing their noses together. “I don’t want anything else.”

Clarke closes the centimeter of space between their lips and kisses him. He brings up one of his hands and cups the back of her neck, deepening it. The world falls away. Suddenly they’re not in his office anymore, there’s not a jealous coworker down the hall, and they’re not on campus. It’s just the two of them in their own little bubble. When they pull apart, he smiles at her, his brown eyes dancing. _He is stunning_.

“Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.” Clarke admits, though she’s kind of wishing for a little more kissing.

“Mama?” Madi’s sleepy voice calls from the corner and Bellamy smirks.

“Then let’s get my girls fed.”

They decide to go to the food trucks on the other side of the campus, and Madi enjoys the walk so that’s a bonus. Of course they get looks, well, Bellamy gets looks and by extension so does Clarke because it’s like they’re wondering how someone actually got him. But Bellamy seems oblivious to it all. He doesn’t see the stares because he’s too focused on Madi, and he doesn’t see the people openly gaping at him because he’s too busy smiling at Clarke. Bellamy Blake truly is a walking Adonis and she wonders if he realizes that. _He has to_.

The lunch isn’t the healthiest thing that Clarke would’ve chosen for Madi, but Bellamy says that he has some spare fruit in his minifridge for emergencies. They sit at a picnic table under one of the oak trees while Bellamy and Clarke eats their burgers and fries and Madi eats her grilled cheese. He asks her how her classes went and in turn she asks him about his. It’s simple conversations that some people may find boring, but Clarke hangs onto every word.

“I’m sorry I had to leave so early this morning,” he says as they gather all of their trash.

“No need to apologize, I understand. You had to get ready for class.”

“But I still enjoyed yesterday, and last night.” He grins and Clarke remembers the night before.

“Me too.” _Really enjoyed it._

They make their way back to his office and Clarke can feel the impending sadness that’s going to come with having to say goodbye. She doesn’t want to just up and leave after he watched Madi for her _and_ bought their lunch, but she feels like she’s going to be too much of a distraction if she stays. judging by the huge stack of papers on his desk, that’s the las thing he needs.

“Hey, I had an idea.” He says once he sits down in his chair. “I was wondering, would you—I don’t know, want to hangout here for a little while?” The way he says it, like he’s nervous about her answer, makes her heart leap.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” She smiles at him before taking the seat across from him.

“Really?” Watching the smile spread across his face is like watching the sun rise. She could watch it all day.

“Of course.”

“Great.” He rubs a hand on the back of his neck. “I just really like being around you,” he says, looking up at her through his eyelashes.

“Me too.” She grins back at him. Good thing they both feel the same way.

They spend the next two hours just in each other’s company with Bellamy grading papers and Clarke working on a paper, with Madi steadily drawing away on the floor beside the desk. Every so often Clarke would feel him looking at her and when she would look up he would give her a lopsided smile that would make her heart stutter, or Madi would hand them pictures she had drawn. By the end of it, Bellamy had three new drawings added to his wall of postcards. He told her that Lincoln and Octavia’s honeymoon had been a backpacking trip across Europe and that Octavia had made sure to send him something from every place they visited.

“I’d like to visit Europe one day.” It’s always been something Clarke wanted to do, but, well, it’s hard to plan a trip with a toddler.

“Me too, I want to see Rome and Greece.”

“The Coliseum and the Parthenon, in particular?” Clarke guesses and Bellamy smirks down at her.

“You already know me so well.” He wraps an arm around her waist and brings her closer.

“Hmm…you still surprise me.” Clarke’s mind quickly wanders back to their first kiss and she can tell that Bellamy’s does the same.

“So do you.” He leans down and gives her a kiss. “You ready to get out of here?”

“Let’s go.”

Clarke and Madi walk with Bellamy to his truck, which is parked right next to his office, then he drives them to their car. They haven’t talked about where they’re going to go but as she gets out of his truck he says that he’ll just follow her home. _Really, how many people got to see the person they’ve just started dating this much?_ Clarke isn’t complaining though. 

When they pull into her driveway she can see that Zeke is there, too. Bellamy helps Clarke with grabbing everything and when they step inside the house, they’re greeted with loud music and some yelling coming from the living room. Clarke knows that sound well enough to realize that they’re playing on Raven’s Xbox and one of them is getting wrecked.  _It’s not Raven_. When Madi enters the living room she makes a line straight for Raven and jumps in her lap. Since they’ve all been doing things recently, Clarke knows that Madi’s missed her aunt Raven being home. 

“Hey pipsqueak.” Raven kisses the top of Madi’s head without taking her eyes off the screen. “How was class, Clarke?”

“Painting was fun, English? Not so much.” Clarke sighs and sets her backpack on the counter. “Who’s winning?”

“Who do you think?” Zeke mumbles from beside Raven.  _Yeah, 10 to 32? Not good_. “Oh, hey, Bellamy.” Zeke looks over and notices Bellamy which leads to Raven taking him down and a string of curses coming from him. 

“Watch the language, there’s a child present.” Raven chides and Zeke sends Clarke an apologetic look. Then he gets killed again. “But I figured you would both be here, so let’s all have dinner together.” 

“And who would be cooking this dinner?” Clarke quirks an eyebrow at her friend. Neither of them can cook.

“That would be us.” Zeke motions between himself and Bellamy, giving up on trying to win the game. “Do you know that these girls can burn anything? Like literally anything. They burnt cereal once and I don’t know how that happened.” 

“That was one time!” Raven let’s out an exasperated sigh right before lining Zeke’s player in her crosshairs and shooting. “I win. So, y’all up for it?” Raven turns her attention back towards Clarke and Bellamy. The two of them look at each other and shrug.

“Sounds like fun.” Bellamy gives Clarke a smile. She doesn’t feel right about having him and Zeke cook their own food when they’re at her and Raven’s house, but neither of them seem bothered.

“I can help!” Madi chirps from her place on Raven’s lap. 

“You want to be our helper?” Zeke smiles at Madi and she nods her head. “Can she?”

”I don’t see why not. Apparently she’s the best helper ever.” Clarke glances at Bellamy who only looks like he’s trying to not smile as big but is failing miserably. 

“That settles it then!” Zeke stands up and lifts Madi off Raven’s lap. “This is mine now.” He says to Raven before maneuvering Madi onto his back. “To the kitchen!”

“Kitchen!”

“Isn’t it a little early to be cooking dinner?” Raven calls from the couch and the two boys stop to look at each other.

“Did she just say it’s too early for food?” Zeke’s eyebrows almost reach his hairline.

“I think she did.”

“You’re always hungry for food, Raven.” Zeke points out and Clarke tries to stifle her laugh. 

“Come on, Raven, let’s leave the men to their cooking duties.” Clarke plops down on the couch beside her friend then smirks in the guys’ direction.

“As you wish, Princess.” Bellamy does a mock bow then turns his attention towards Zeke and Madi. 

“You know, someone could take one look at the three of you and immediately assume that she’s y’all’s kid.” Raven points out as she turns and drapes her legs across Clarke’s. “She looks more like his kid than Finn’s.”

“Shh!” Clarke swats at her good leg. She looks over at the kitchen where Zeke and Bellamy are currently having a wooden spoon match while Madi giggles from on top of the counter. “Miller already pointed that out.”

“Well, he’s not wrong.” Raven shrugs and Clarke takes another look at her daughter and Bellamy. Madi even has freckles like Bellamy. “Are you sure he’s not the guy you boned three years ago?” Clarke turns her attention back to her friend who wiggles her eyebrows. 

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” Clarke groans and leans back against the cushions.

“Hey, I’m just playing. But you have to admit, it is kind of weird.”

“Yeah, it is.” For some reason, Clarke’s mind drifts back to the hallway and the conversation...well, argument, she heard Bellamy having with his coworker Echo. It’s not like that was the first time she had heard someone say that getting into a relationship with someone who already has a kid is just asking for trouble, people had said that about Kane dating her mom when she was teenager,  _but the way that girl said it_... 

“What’s wrong?” Raven’s voice breaks through Clarke’s thoughts. 

“What do you mean?” Clarke should know better than to play dumb, Raven knows her better than anyone. 

“You went from massaging my leg to digging your nails into it.” Raven glances towards her leg and Clarke immediately relaxes her hands. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, just something someone said.”  _Right, like Raven is going to let that go_.

“Okay, are you going to tell me or do I have to beat it out of you?” Raven quirks an eyebrow and tilts her head. Over the years they’ve gotten into wrestling matches when one decides that the other is being stubborn and despite Raven’s brace, she almost always wins. 

Clarke sighs and scoots closer to Raven who sits up and leans forward. “I overheard Bellamy arguing with his coworker, Echo, and she asked him if he really wanted to get into this “mess” with me and Madi.”

“Wait, Echo? Like brown hair, brown eyes, bitchy face?”

“Yeah, you know her?”

“Not personally, but do you remember that thing I had with Roan Azgeda for a couple of months?”

“Not like I could ever forget  _that_.” Clarke huffs. Those few months had been a nightmare for Clarke, those two never seemed to leave the room. 

“Echo was his ex-girlfriend and she  _hated_  me. Anytime we went out she showed up and anytime I left him alone she was always there. From what I’ve gathered she’s like an all-or-Nothing person, and sometimes she doesn’t know when she should stop.”

“Well, good thing her and Bellamy were never together.” Clarke sighs and leans against the couch, mindlessly watching the T.V. Madi giggles from the kitchen and Clarke feels the corners of her mouth turn upward. When she looks over, Bellamy is using the flashlight on his phone to cast shadow animals onto the wall.

“What did Bellamy have to say?”

Clarke shifts her focus from the scene in the kitchen and back towards her friend. “He told her that he wasn’t going to let her make assumptions about me or Madi when she doesn’t know us just because she’s jealous and wishes it were her.” Clarke can’t help but smirk at the last part.

“Okay, you can keep him.” Raven says finally, as she lays back down.

“What?”

“He loves Madi, he stands up for the two of you, he just keeps coming back for more. Keep him.”

Clarke turns back towards her daughter and the man in question. She’s not sure what they’re supposed to be making but there’s a decent amount of flour in Bellamy’s hair now and Madi is grinning like the Cheshire cat. Bellamy sees her looking and winks. Clarke smiles. “Yeah, maybe I will.”

For dinner the guys and Madi made shrimp fettuccini, and Clarke learns that they hadn’t needed the flour, they just wanted to play in it. As expected, the food is delicious and Clarke wonders how they got so good at cooking. Of course her and her dad cooked together when he was still alive, but she could never get the hang of it, and when Kane came into the picture he tried too and she learned how to make a few things. Now, her and Raven can get by together when it comes to cooking for Madi but it’s still a challenge for the two of them. _Maybe Bellamy can help_ …

“So, Blake, what are your intentions with my best friend?” Raven asks, giving Bellamy the patented Reyes Stare and he chokes on the glass of wine he had just tried to take a sip of. Clarke shoots her friend a glare while she pats him on the back. “What? As your closest friend and confidant I need to know these things.”

When Bellamy recovers he looks at Raven, completely serious. “I want our relationship to continue, I love being around her, and Madi, and,” he turns to look at Clarke, a small smile playing on his lips, “and I’m having more fun than I thought I could ever have at this point.”

“Hmm…good answer,” Raven looks at him for a second. “Okay, so what about—”

“Babe, maybe wait to interrogate the man until dinner is over.” Zeke smiles at his girlfriend and Raven seems to consider this before nodding.

“Okay, I can do that,” she points her fork at Bellamy. “You’re safe for now.”

Bellamy turns to Clarke, a look of actual worry in his eyes and Clarke giggles. “She’s just being Raven, don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Clarke rests her chin on his shoulder and reaches up to move a strand of hair behind her ear and smirks.

“I don’t doubt that, Princess.”

The rest of dinner goes well as well as the rest of Bellamy’s time at the house. Raven held off on asking him questions until he and Clarke had put Madi asleep and then even when she did ask the questions, they weren’t bad. Mostly, are you going to go on another date, what are you going to do on the date, are you going to do _her_ on the date. Needless to say, that conversation ended with both Bellamy and Clarke blushing and Zeke dragging Raven towards the bedroom to give the two of them a moment alone before Bellamy left.

“I had fun today.” Clarke says as she wraps her arms around his neck. “We should do it again sometime.”

“Hmm…maybe Wednesday?” Bellamy wraps his arms around her waist.

“You read my mind.” Clarke smirks before leaning up on her tippy toes and pressing her lips to his. When they break apart, he’s caressing her cheek with his thumb.

“Clarke, do you want to go on a date with me?”

“I’ll have to think about it,” Clarke teases and Bellamy’s mouth drops open in shock. “Okay, I’ll go on another date with you.”

“Oh, good, otherwise this would be awkward.” They both laugh and Clarke finds that Bellamy’s laugh is the next best thing to Madi’s. “I was wondering, could it—I don’t know, could it just be the two of us?” He seems unsure when he asks, but Clarke leans up and kisses him.

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean, a parent needs some alone time without their kid every now and then.” It was something Clarke hadn’t had since her and Lexa started dating, date night, but she thinks some time with just her and Bellamy would be nice.

“Do you think Madi will be okay with it?” He looks towards Madi’s bedroom and Clarke’s heart flips. _He doesn’t want to hurt Madi’s feelings_.

“It’ll be fine, Bellamy, I’ll talk to her.” Clarke smiles.

“Okay, then. So it’s a date?”

“A date.”

They kiss each other more before Bellamy has to leave and as he walks out the door Clarke tells him to text her when he gets home. Otherwise she’d never be able to sleep.

**Bellamy Blake**

**Bellamy:** I’m home, baby

_Attachment: 1 image_

The picture is of him snuggled up in his bed with his glasses on.

 **Clarke:** I like those glasses :)

 **Bellamy:** Maybe I’ll wear them more :)

 **Clarke:** Please do :)

 **Bellamy:** As you wish :) goodnight, Princess

 **Clarke:** Goodnight, handsome

As Clarke falls asleep, her mind is littered with pictures of a certain golden boy with black curls and a face full of freckles and her dreams are nothing but dark hair and brown and blue eyes. Even while she sleeps, there’s a ghost of a smile on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't help it, I had to add a little tension but that got dealt with quickly, with season 6 starting I figured why not add Echo into this story lol and I always kind of liked #IceMechanic so there's mention of that too. I'm absolutely pissed about what happened with Zeke/Shaw, but at least I still have him here...
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke gets a surprise, and her and Bellamy go onto their second 'official' date :)
> 
> I'm sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation errors!

The rest of the week goes about the same as Monday had. On Tuesday, Clarke and Madi spend time at home with Raven and Clarke works on her class assignments; Wednesday, Madi spends time at Bellamy’s office again and when Clarke gets out they go and get lunch. The same thing happens Thursday and Friday, too, and Clarke is surprised at how easy and normal everything seems despite this being the first week they’ve done it. Thankfully, there’s no more problems with Echo, and Clarke is grateful that she doesn’t even see the other woman.

They haven’t talked about the next date since Monday night, so Clarke is thrown off-guard when Bellamy asks her about it.

“Do you want to go out tonight?” He asks as she gets out of his truck to get into her car with Madi.

“Tonight? I don’t have a babysitter.” She could ask Raven, of course, but she hasn’t seen Raven yet.

“I already asked Raven, she said she could watch Madi.” Bellamy seems smug at the fact he’s already made plans with Raven for their date, and Clarke can’t help but think that it’s adorable that he wanted to make sure Madi would be taken care of.

“So this is a planned thing.” Clarke arches an eyebrow and Bellamy gives her a lopsided grin.

“Maybe a little.”

“Maybe.” Clarke smiles then leans into the cab, giving Bellamy a kiss. “What time?”

“How about I pick you up at 6:00pm?” 

“Sounds great to me, any specific dress code?” She’s still not sure what exactly they’re doing. 

“Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.” There’s a wicked glint in Bellamy’s eyes and Clarke is pretty sure her heartbeat has picked up ten-fold. 

“Ooh, now I’m intrigued,” She smirks before getting out of the truck. “Six o’clock and wear clothes I don’t mind getting dirty. Where exactly are you taking me, Mr. Blake?”

“Oh, you’ll see, Princess.” He winks and Clarke rolls her eyes, but she knows that she’s grinning from ear to ear. They all say their goodbyes and then Clarke and Madi are headed back home. Not knowing where they’re going tonight has Clarke wracking her brain to see if she can figure it out, but she hasn’t come up with any ideas by the time they pull into the driveway. 

“Honey, I’m home!” Clarke calls to Raven. Kind of a running joke since people couldn’t believe that two bisexual girls couldn’t live together without _something_ going on between them. 

“If that’s how you greet your roommate i wonder how you greet your boyfriend.” A familiar, deep voice comes from the kitchen and Clarke grins. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming!” Clarke practically hurls herself at Wells but he knows her well enough to be ready for it. 

“I wanted you to be surprised.” He chuckles. “Surprise.”

“Surprise, indeed.” Clarke giggles then steps back from her friend. “What are you doing out here? I thought classes were still going.” 

“Wells!” Madi takes her turn jumping up at Wells and he smiles before picking her up. Since he hadn’t been around much when she was younger, because of college and everything, it took a little more time for Madi to warm up to him. But the time in D.C. helped. 

“Hey Madi.” He twirls her around and she giggles. “Funny thing about that,” he says, turning his attention back to Clarke, “if you have a reason to take all of your exams early, then you can finish the semester early.” A devious grin spreads across his face and Clarke begins to wonder what Wells Jaha did to get all six of his exams early. 

“Do I even want to know?” 

“Probably not.” 

“Well, okay, then.” Clarke chuckles. “So, how long are you going to be in town?” Wells hardly ever visits, so she’s wondering if he was missing her as much as she was missing him.

“Well, I need to talk to you about that.” He holds Madi with one arm then puts the other around Clarke’s shoulders and steers her towards the living room. “What would I have to do to convince you to let me live in the spare bedroom for a couple of weeks?”

“A couple of weeks?” Clarke echoes back. _It’s not like him to stay that long_. 

“Any particular reason why?” 

“Honestly?”

“Of course.”

“I just miss my best friend.” That’s something Clarke can _definitely_ understand. All three of them plop down onto the couch. “We haven’t hung out as much as we both probably would have liked over the past couple of years and I figured that since we’re both done with the semester, well, almost done, then we could spend a couple of weeks together. I even took off work and cleared everything my father had scheduled for me.”

”Oh, I’m sure Jaha did not like that.” Clarke laughs.

Thelonious Jaha is a very popular politician, so of course while Wells was growing up he was brought to every function and dinner party that his father had been invited to. Which of course led to Clarke being brought as well because, as Wells put it, “There’s no way in hell I'm doing this by myself again, Griffin, I’d rather throw myself out a window.” Now, even though Wells is at Harvard Law, Jaha still makes it a point to plan every second of his son’s time off, but Clarke hasn’t been there to go with him to any of the events in a while. So the fact that Wells has taken two weeks off, and that his father agreed to it, is nothing short of miraculous. 

“Definitely not, but,” Wells shrugs, “family is important. And that’s you, too.”

”And me?” Madi asks, looking up at Wells with big, blue puppy eyes. 

“Yes, you too Mads.” 

“God, I’ve missed you.” Clarke can feel tears prick her eyes as she leans over to wrap Wells in another hug. The front door opens and Raven’s voice fills the house.

“Honey, I’m home!” 

“I see the feeling is mutual.” Wells smirks as he and Clarke pull away from each other. 

“Oh, great, I was wondering when you were getting in.” Raven throws her backpack onto he counter and heads towards Wells who stands up and hugs her. 

“Wait, you knew he was coming?”

“Of course I knew he was coming, I told him when you were supposed to be getting back.” Raven smirks and Clarke hugs her friend. 

“Thank you.” 

“She also told me about a boyfriend you’ve neglected to tell me about.” Wells points at Clarke and she can feel herself blush. “Albeit, it wasn’t much.”

“I was going to, it’s just I figured we’d both be busy with school so I was going to wait. It’s only been like a week.” Clarke mumbles and Wells’ eyebrows shoot up towards his hairline. 

“A _week_? When exactly did you meet this guy?” Clarke can sense his brotherly nature coming to the surface so Clarke takes a deep breath and motions towards the couch.

“Okay, _so_...”

Clarke tells Wells everything, starting with how she met him. As she goes, she silently asks Raven if she can tell him how she met Bellamy, then she goes on to the diner date, absolutely everything up until their date tonight. Which Raven had already told him about. When she finishes, he doesn’t say anything and Raven ends up getting Madi’s attention by telling her she’ll show her the new project she had been working on, which gives Clarke and Wells a minute alone. But Clarke has a feeling she already knows what he’s going to say.

“This is really fast, Clarke,” the V between Wells’ eyebrows is the deepest she’s seen it in a while. “Do you think this is...” he trails off an takes a deep breath.

“Do I think this is the best thing to do? Do I think this is going to end well?” Clarke finishes for him and she can see Wells swallow before nodding his head.

“I just don’t want you hurt again, Clarke.”

“Everyone keeps saying they don’t want me to get hurt but it seems like they don’t know that I’m an adult now.” Clarke stands up and runs her fingers through her hair. She knows her friends are just coming from a place of love, but, god, she feels like she’s being treated like a kid. 

“We love you, Clarke, and we want you to be happy, but you have more to think about than just you.” Wells stands up and places his hands on her shoulders. 

“You don’t think I know that? He adores Madi, he’s always willing to help with her, he even offered to watch her while I’m in class so I don’t have to put her in daycare. I am thinking about my daughter, that’s all I ever do, but now I feel like I can think about myself too.” Clarke can feel tears prick her eyes.

”I know you always put Madi first, I’m sorry for implying otherwise,” Wells bends down to look at her in the eyes. “Whats really going on, Clarke?”

“I’m scared.” She forces herself to look her best friend, her brother, in the eyes. “After everything with Finn, and opening up to Lexa, and how both of those ended...” she sniffles and wipes a tear from her cheek. “I feel like I’ve found this amazing guy, that seems too good for someone like me, and I really believe that I can be happy, you know? He’s everything anyone could ever want in a partner and, god, he just seems too good to be true, and I feel like maybe he is. Then when someone asks me if this is too fast, I know it is, but I’ve never been so attracted to someone, Wells. I didn’t feel this with Finn, or Lexa, I just love being around him. There’s something— something about him, and I can’t...” Clarke shakes her head, thoroughly cutting herself off from her rambling.

She just admitted something that’s been at the back of her mind for the past few days, and it feels nice to tell someone. Wells doesn’t take his eyes off her as he processes everything she’s just said. 

“Okay, first off, don’t ever put yourself down like that. You hear me?” Wells eyes are imploring as he looks at her. His grip tightening a fraction. “You are the best person I have ever met in my life, Clarke, and I don’t want to hear you say that someone, especially a man, is too good for you because I believe that’s complete bullshit.” Despite herself, a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips. “And second, if you truly believe that this guy is the one, even if it is only after a week, then I’m going to be here for you and I’m going to support you.”

“You are?”

“You’re my best friend, Clarke, you’re like my sister. We’ve been there for each other every day since we were babies, do you really think I’m going to stop now?” He gives her a crooked grin and she can feel a weight lift off her shoulders. He pulls her in for another hug and she holds on tight. Every now and then, maybe she just needs a Wells Jaha hug. “And, I can’t wait to meet him.” 

“Oh, the date!” Clarke pulls back, her eyes wide. “I didn’t know you were coming, should I cancel? I don’t want to leave you alone on your first night here.”

”It’s cool, Clarke, I came here today specifically so I could help Raven look after Madi so you _could_ go on your date.”

“You agreed to help Raven babysit even though you don’t know the guy?”

”If Raven gave him her stamp of approval, then I figured he couldn’t be that bad,” he shrugs. 

“Have I told you that I love you?”

“Eh,” he shrugs again, “it’s implied.” He grins and Clarke is pretty sure she has a goofy grin on her face too. “So, what are the dress requirements for tonight?” He asks, steering her towards her bedroom. 

“He told me to wear clothes I don’t mind getting dirty.”

“What?”

“I know.”

“Do you know where he’s taking you?”

“Nope.”

“Then we have some work to do.”

In the end, with a little help from Raven and Madi, Clarke decides to put on an old Rolling Stones t-shirt that has a few paint stains and some old, dark wash jeans that Clarke forgot she had. At 5:45PM she’s standing in front of her mirror putting her hair up when the doorbell rings. She smirks. _Bellamy is always early_. 

“Bell!” Madi slides off the bed and rushes to the door with Wells staring after her. When he can’t see her anymore he turns around to Clarke.

“Does she do that every time?”

“Yep.”

“Definitely can’t wait to meet him.”

“Well, you’re about to.” Clarke makes her way down the hall with Wells behind her, but she stops in front of the kitchen and turns around. “Be nice.”

“I’m always nice, Griffin.” He grins then leans up against the counter and Clarke snorts. 

When she gets to the door and opens it, Bellamy’s smiling face greets her from the other side. He’s wearing a tan/brown shirt that’s lighter than his skin and black  combat pants. Suddenly, Clarke is worried that she didn’t dress properly.

“Bell!” Madi jumps up and down, waiting for Bellamy to pick her up. He pulls his gaze away from Clarke and smiles down at her, bending down to pick her up.

“Hey, little one.”

“I helped mama dress.” Madi says triumphantly and Bellamy moves his eyes over Clarke’s outfit.

”You did a good job.” Bellamy smiles at Madi then moves closer to Clarke, wrapping his free arm around her waist. “Hello, Princess.” 

“Hi,” is all Clarke can get out before Bellamy leans forward and gives her a kiss. But that doesn’t last long because they can both hear Wells and Raven’s voices coming from the kitchen.

“Did he just call her Princess?”

“Shh!”

Bellamy pulls back, his eyebrows knitting in confusion before giving Clarke a crooked smile. “I think you have mice.” Clarke giggles and rolls her eyes. 

“I have a mouse you need to meet.” She turns towards the kitchen, holding onto Bellamy’s hand to bring him with her. When they get to the kitchen, Wells and Raven are trying so hard to not be obvious...it makes Clarke laugh. “Bellamy, his is my best friend—“

“Hey!”

“Okay, this is my _first_ ever best friend Wells Jaha, Wells, this is my boyfriend Bellamy Blake.” Both of them do that guy thing where it seems like they’re sizing each other up, but in the end they both shake each other’s hands. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Clarke’s talked about you a lot.” 

“Don’t believe anything, she’s a bad influence.” Wells holds up his hands and Clarke punches him in the shoulder. 

“You were always thinking the same thing, it just took me to say ‘hey, let’s go’ for you to actually do it.” She rolls her eyes but she knows she’s smiling. 

“So, where are the two of you going?” Raven asks from her place against the counter. Bellamy puts Madi down who wanders over to where Raven is.

“It’s a surprise.” Bellamy grins.

“You still won’t tell me?” Clarke looks up at him and she can see his eyes dancing. He’s really excited.

“Nope.”

“Please.” She pouts.

“You’re adorable, but nope.” He tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “But we should get going, we don’t want to be late.” He takes Clarke’s hand. “Thank you, for agreeing to watch Madi.” 

“No problem, it’s why he’s here too.” Raven points towards Wells who smiles.

“Take care of her.” He points to Clarke and Bellamy turns his attention back to her. 

“Don’t worry, I got her.” Bellamy winks and Clarke can feel herself blush. She really does feel like a teenager going on a date again. 

They all say their goodbyes then Bellamy leads Clarke towards the front door. She looks back for a second and she can see Wells and Raven watching her, with Madi in Raven’s arms. When they get to the door, Bellamy opens it and gives Clarke a smile before bringing their joined hands up and kissing the back of hers. As they go through the door, Wells and Raven’s voices follow them. 

“Oh, they’re so done for.”

“Yep.”

Once they’re in the car, Bellamy ends up agreeing to a game that Clarke came up with. She gets to ask three questions, and if he answers ‘yes’ to any of the questions then she gets to ask more. Her way of trying to figure out where they’re going. 

“Okay, is it inside?”

“No.”

“Will there be a lot of people?”

“Yes.”

“Will I know any of the people?”

“Define ‘know’.”

“Will I have met any of them before?” Bellamy takes a second to think but then settles on a decision. 

“No.”

“Hmm...”

“Give up?” Bellamy smirks.

“No, I’m thinking.” Clarke props her head up on her hand with her elbow resting on the center console. She honestly has no idea where he could possibly be taking her. “Alright, fine, I give up.” She sighs and turns in her seat to look at him. “Where are we going?” Bellamy chuckles then grabs her hand, giving it another kiss.

”You don’t like not knowing things, do you?” The smile he gives her is bright, and she can feel the butterflies in her stomach again. 

“Maybe.”

“It’s cute, babe, really.” Bellamy continues smiling, even as he’s watching the road, and Clarke can feel her cheeks heat up. She sighs and rights herself in her seat, Bellamy’s hand never leaving hers. 

Forty minutes later, they pull up to a place with a few trailers out front and tons of vehicles parked in the parking lot. When Bellamy opens her door and helps her out of the truck, Clarke can see a sign above one of the buildings. “Basics Paintball.” Bellamy Blake took her to play paintball. 

“Here, you might need this.” He pulls a light 3/4 zip jacket out of the backseat and hands it to her. “They don’t sting that bad if you have something covering you, but on skin? That might hurt a little.” He smirks as she takes the jacket.

“I have to say, this is a first.” 

“First time playing paintball or the first paintball date you’ve been on?” Bellamy quirks and eyebrow and Clarke smiles.

“Both.”

“Well then,” he says as he wraps his arms around her waist, “I hope it doesn't disappoint.” They kiss then Bellamy grabs her hand and leads her towards the building. 

Now, Clarke _has_ shot a gun before. Kane wanted to at least teach her the basics of how to shoot before she left for college, but that does not mean she had any idea of what she was walking in to. Bellamy on the other hand? Bellamy absolutely dominated, but he still found time to steal kisses from her while they were hiding and trying to not get hit. They both get pelted with colors and Clarke watches as Bellamy’s huge grin never leaves face.

The match lasts for two hours and by the time it ends, Clarke is pretty sure that she’s going to have a few bruises in the morning, but she has to admit, this is the best date she’s ever been on. Bellamy leads her back to the truck, both of them laughing and smiling like they’re still in high school. When they settle in the truck, Clarke takes off the jacket Bellamy had given her earlier. Thankfully, she found out that the colors would wash off so she doesn’t have to feel bad about getting it dirty.

“So, how was that for a second date?” Bellamy asks as he pulls out of the parking lot.

“It was amazing.” Clarke’s cheeks are beginning to hurt from smiling so much. She stretches out her arms, remembering some of the places she had been hit. “But I think we’re both going to be a little sore tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s the one downside to it.” He gives her an apologetic smile and Clarke takes his hand.

“But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Me either.”

On their ride back, Bellamy steals kisses at red lights and stop signs and Clarke can feel her heart skip a beat with each one. She’s so giggly and smiley, she doesn’t want this night to end.

“Hey, I know it’s late,” Bellamy says glancing at the clock on the dash, “but do you want to get something to eat?”

“Hmm…got anything in mind?”

“Would you consider Sonic like a date?”

“I would consider Sonic the best date.” She smiles.

They both end up getting two coneys, a brownie blast to share between them, and two orders of tater tots. They talk about whatever comes their mind, which is everything from music to movies to their favorite constellations in the sky. When they finish their food, they head back to Clarke’s house and she tells him about Wells’ plan to stay.

“He said that he cancelled everything for the next two weeks, so it’s going to be nice getting to spend more time with him.”

“Yeah, that sounds great. From what you’ve told me, I’m sure that that was hard to get.”

“Oh, if only I could’ve seen the look on Jaha’s face.” Clarke laughs. “But I’m glad the two of you got to meet.”

“I don’t know if he likes me or not.” Bellamy gives her a lopsided grin.

“He likes you, trust me, but he can be a little overprotective. Not that you would know what that’s like.” Clarke teases and she can see a slight blush on Bellamy’s skin from the lights on the dash.

“I understand that.”

“He just needs some time to get to know you.” Clarke props her head up on her hand and looks over at Bellamy. “Then he’ll see what I see.” Bellamy pulls into her driveway and puts the truck in park before turning to look at her.

“And what would that be, Clarke?”

“Someone amazing.”

“Now, Princess, don’t you know it’s rude to brag about yourself?”

“Will you just take a compliment?” Clarke pushes him lightly and rolls her eyes, though not without affection, and Bellamy laughs.

“I guess I’m just not used to getting compliments.” He gives her a shy smile and Clarke reaches over, running her fingers through his hair.

“Then we’ll just have to work on that.” Clarke looks in his eyes and she’s momentarily caught in a river of chocolate. Like the night they first kissed. “I’m going to be complimenting you a lot.” Clarke smirks and Bellamy ducks his head. When he looks back at her, there’s something between the two of them and he leans forward, capturing her lips in a kiss that’s more heated than any of the other ones they’ve had.

Clarke forgets what time it is. She forgets that Wells and Raven are probably waiting up for her. The only thing that she’s aware of is Bellamy’s lips against hers and his hands in her hair and holding her. Clarke is close to climbing over the console of his truck when they both pull apart. They’re both breathing heavily and Bellamy’s pupils are blown.

“Do you want to come inside?” Clarke asks between pants. She’s having a difficult time getting her breathing under control. Bellamy leans forward and gives her another kiss.

“You have some people waiting for you, baby, and one of them came a long way to see you.” Clarke can see the same longing she feels reflected in Bellamy’s eyes. She knows he’s right, but that doesn’t make it any easier. “Don’t get me wrong, I want to, but I don’t think it’s the right time. Not yet.” _Nope, can’t argue with that._

“Yeah, you’re right.” Clarke gives him a small smile. “But I had fun tonight, Bellamy.”

“Me too, Princess.” Clarke leans forward and gives Bellamy a deep kiss.

“Tomorrow, we’re having a sort of welcoming party for Wells, would you want to come?”

“Sure, just give me a time.” Bellamy smiles and Clarke can feel her heart flip.

“I’ll text you.” She gives him one more kiss before opening the door and sliding out of her seat. “But you’ll text me when you get home, yeah?”

“Of course.” He gives her a wink and she smiles.

“Be safe.”

“Always.” With one last wave and round of goodbyes, Clarke walks to her front door and turns in time to see Bellamy pull out into the road, giving her one last little wave.

Clarke pushes into the house and walks down the hall, stopping when she comes face to face with Wells whose sitting at the kitchen counter. She’s pretty sure she still has a goofy grin plastered on her face because Wells’ eyebrows raise and a corner of his mouth turns up.

“I take it you had fun?”

“I did. And I would’ve had more fun if he hadn’t made the argument that since you’re here it wouldn’t be right to choose tonight for me to get laid.” Clarke sighs, taking the chair across from him.

“Oh, you’ll have more opportunities to get laid, Clarke, waiting a little longer won’t kill you.” Wells smirks and he pushes a mug in front of her. Hot chocolate in April. _Only Wells_. “So, where did he take you?”

Clarke smiles and Wells motions towards the living room. They both fold themselves onto the couch and Clarke goes into story mode, but Wells is used to those at this point. Her and Wells spend the rest of the night talking and laughing and just reminiscing on everything that they’ve done together. Not what she expected, but it’s still a wonderful way to end an amazing night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always find it hard to not write this story because after every chapter I post, I always end up having more that I feel like I need to write. I can't believe there's only 4 chapters left! 
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy joins in Wells' welcoming party, but they all end up at a different party :)
> 
> I kind of let the length of this chapter get away from me...oops lol

When Clarke wakes up, it’s to the smell of bacon and the sound of Madi singing. All her life, Wells had always been an early riser, so she isn’t surprised to find him in the kitchen, but she is surprised to find Raven and Bellamy there too. Raven hates waking up before 10:00AM on the weekends unless she’s itching to get back to work on her project, and Clarke hadn’t even texted Bellamy a time yet. 

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” Raven notices her first and peers at her over the rim of her coffee.

“Mama!”

“Hey, honey.” Clarke bends down and picks up her daughter. “It seems like I missed the party invite.” 

“We didn’t want to wake you.” Bellamy walks over and presses a kiss to her forehead. “Good morning, gorgeous.”

“Oh god, I’m going to throw up in the bacon.” Wells moans and Raven throws a wadded-up paper towel at him. “Yeah, yeah, good morning.” Wells salutes Clarke with the spatula, smiling, and Clarke rolls her eyes.

“You’re here early.” She turns her attention back to Bellamy who seems to have adhered to the pajamas only policy. But she hadn’t told him about it.

“I thought it’d be a nice surprise!” Wells calls over his shoulder. “Since, you know, what didn’t happen last night is apparently  _my_  fault.” Clarke looks over at Bellamy who’s gone completely red from the neck up. 

“What didn’t happen, mama?” Madi turns her blue eyes to Clarke and her mind immediately draws a blank and goes into _‘oh shit’_ mode. 

“Wells, didn’t let Clarke and I have ice cream last night because it would’ve ruined our dinner.” Bellamy says, searching Clarke’s face for any sign of it that was a good save or not.

“You can eat ice cream tonight.” Madi says simply and Clarke and Bellamy both let out a sigh of relief. Raven and Wells are just staring and when Clarke looks at Wells, he mouths _‘sorry’_ and Clarke sticks her tongue out at him.

When Wells finishes up with the bacon and Clarke gets the biscuits out of the oven, they all sit around the table with Madi opting to sit in Bellamy’s lap, so she didn’t have to sit at the little table by herself. Clarke was expecting Wells to go on an interrogation tirade, but he didn’t. Wells and Bellamy ended up having a fun conversation about football.

“So,” Bellamy asks when they all begin putting away their dishes, “what’s the plan for today?”

“We usually bake a lot of stuff.” Raven opens the fridge and begins digging for the cookie dough. Bellamy’s eyebrows crease and leans towards Wells.

“Can they actually bake?”

“Hey, I heard that, Blake!”

“Yeah, they can bake a little. If you watch them close enough.” Wells gives Clarke a lopsided grin and she rolls her eyes.

“We _can_ cook some things, you know.” Clarke looks pointedly at Bellamy who holds up his hands in surrender.

“I’m still learning.” He grins and Clarke can feel herself begin to smile too.

For the next hour, everyone gets to work on making as many chocolate chip cookies as they can, and at one-point Wells and Clarke get into a competition to see who can make the biggest cookie. Raven makes a few cookies but usually opts for just eating the cookie dough and when her leg begins to hurt, she and Madi go into the living room to begin finding a movie for them all to watch.

Clarke’s two worlds have come together and eventually she just sits back for a moment to watch her best friend and her new boyfriend get along. Despite Bellamy’s inclination to not really like people with a lot of money, he doesn’t hold it against Wells that his father is a big politician. Just like he didn’t hold it against Clarke that her mother is a surgeon. But looking at them, you wouldn’t know that they came from such different backgrounds.

“Movie! Movie!” Madi squeals from the living room and everyone stops to look over at her. She has chocolate smeared across her face and Clarke curses herself for not paying attention to the number of cookies she’s eaten. _She’s not going to want lunch_.

“And what movie would that be, Mads?” Wells smiles as he takes a place on the floor next to her. She holds up _Brave_. “Brave, huh? That’s a good choice.”

“I think he and I will get along just fine.” Bellamy whispers in Clarke’s ear and she smiles. _Bonding over a Disney movie._

“Yeah, I think so too.”

They all take their places around the living room. Raven calls dibs on the loveseat for herself, Bellamy sits on the couch with Madi, and Clarke hesitates for a moment before seeing Bellamy nod then she takes her place next to Wells on the pallet on the floor. It’s always been a thing they’ve done since they were kids. They would make a fort or a pallet on the floor and call it lame camping while eating everything sugary they could get their hands on.

This time, Madi stays awake long enough to watch the entire movie and when it’s over, she gives Wells two movies to choose from. _Frozen_ and _Tangled_. Wells ends up choosing _Tangled_ with the comment that Rapunzel’s chameleon makes the entire movie and he sympathizes with Flynn Rider being confused anytime someone breaks into a musical number. _“Someone had to finally say it!”_

About halfway through the movie, Bellamy gets a call and he mouths “Octavia” to Clarke before stepping into the hallway to answer it. He’s gone for about ten minutes before he walks back into the living room, rubbing the back of his neck. Clarke’s eyebrows furrow and she gets up, wondering what’s going on.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, it’s just everyone decided to have an impromptu crawfish boil today instead of next weekend. Something about Monty and Harper leaving for a cruise but still wanting to have one last get together before they leave. See, we always have an end-of-the-semester crawfish boil and we were planning on it being next weekend, but…”

“But everything’s been moved around, and you need to head out?”

“Yeah, but O told me to invite you, Madi, Raven, and Wells, too.” He gives her a small smile. “I told her what we were doing today, and she said that she didn’t want to ruin my plans but they kind of need me and Lincoln there to cook, so she told me to bring my plans with me. I know that this isn’t what you wanted to do today and—” Clarke cuts him off with a kiss. _He’s cute when he rambles_.

“I love crawfish.”

“You do?”

“Of course, and Wells hasn’t been around when they’re in season yet so he’s coming whether he likes it or not.” Bellamy gives her a boyish grin and kisses her again.

When they both walk back into the living room, Raven quirks an eyebrow at them and Clarke mouths _‘later’_. Her and Bellamy had decided to wait until the movie was over to tell everyone, since they didn’t want to upset Madi, but Bellamy would have to leave right after in order to meet up with Lincoln to get the sacks of crawfish.

As the movie ends, Madi tries to jump down off the couch to pick another movie out but Clarke catches her and sets her on her lap. “Slow down, munchkin, I have a question. For everyone.” This gets Raven and Wells’ attention and they both turn towards her. “Octavia and everyone are having a crawfish boil and we’ve been invited.” She turns to Wells, “I know this isn’t what we had on the agenda, but you’ll get to meet some more of our friends _and_ get to have crawfish for the first time.”

“Sure, seems like it could be fun.” Wells shrugs and looks over at Bellamy. “I’ve never boiled crawfish in my life, but I can help if you need it.”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

“This might be rude, but can I invite Zeke too?” Raven asks Bellamy and he smirks.

“Monty’s already asked, he’s already on his way.”

“Alright, what about you, Madi, do you want to see O and August again?” Madi smiles and nods her head. “Alright, well I guess that settles that. Let’s go.” She stands up, bringing Madi with her.

“Is it going to be at Octavia and Lincoln’s?”

“Yep, and they have a pool too.”

“Pool!” Madi grins.

“Okay, well we’ll change and get everything packed, but I know you need to head out so, text me the address?”

“Of course, Princess.” Bellamy smiles then gives Clarke a kiss on the cheek.

“Give me like five minutes, and I’ll be ready.” Wells disappears down the hallway and into the guest room. Raven comes over and takes Madi and heads towards her room, giving Bellamy and Clarke a minute alone.

“Are you going to swim again?” Clarke asks, wrapping her arms around Bellamy’s waist.

“I don’t know, do you want to swim with me again?” Bellamy smirks down at her, his eyes holding the same heat as the night before.

“Maybe.”

“ _Maybe.”_ They close the gap between them, and they only break apart when they hear Wells come out of his room. Wells takes one look at them, points towards the front door, says, “I’m just gonna…yeah…” then slips out the door. Bellamy pulls back, laughing. “I guess that’s my cue.” He reaches up and runs his fingers through Clarke’s golden hair. “I’ll see you soon?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Good.” He smiles then leans down to kiss her one last time. Before he moves away, he leans forward, and Clarke can feel his breath against her ear. “I like the black swimsuit you wore last weekend.” Then with a wink he’s gone out the front door, just like Wells.

Clarke moves towards her own bedroom and shuts the door behind her. Bellamy Blake will be the death of her.

Within thirty minutes, Clarke, Raven, and Madi are packed and ready to head out. Bellamy had texted Clarke the address almost immediately after he and Wells left, and after looking at it, Clarke had some idea as to where she was going. But she didn’t expect to have to go to the back of a subdivision. She can never find her way out of them.

When they finally find Lincoln and Octavia’s house, Clarke is taken back by how beautiful it is. It’s a tall, two-story house with a wide front lawn and an a fenced in back yard. There’s already a handful of cars parked in the driveway and along the road when Miller appears and directs Clarke to a spot in the yard that’s vacant. She’s worried about leaving tread marks in the yard, but if that’s where Miller is telling her to park then, well, she can’t argue with that. He meets her at her door and smiles when she gets out.

“We were beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost.”

“I may have gotten turned around a couple of times.” Clarke mumbles and Miller barks out a laugh.

“Here, let me help with that.” He grabs the big plate of cookies that she and Raven had decided to bring. They didn’t need any more temptation than what they already had back at the house. Clarke tells him thanks and gets Madi out of her car seat, then the three of them follow Miller into the house.

Inside is dark, hardwood floors and dozens of photographs lining the tan walls. Some are of landscapes, others are of a younger Octavia, there’s baby pictures of August, family pictures of the two of them and Lincoln, and a surprising number of pictures of all their friends. It makes Clarke wonder if the other’s houses have the same pictures up. Miller leads them to the kitchen where Octavia, Harper, and Maya are dancing around with August and they all smile when the other girls walk in.

“Hey! Finally.” Octavia gives Clarke a hug first, then Raven, then pinches Madi’s cheeks. “Hey, Madi, do you want to play with August?” Madi nods her head so Clarke puts her down as Maya puts down August.

“Hey, sorry it took so long.” Clarke gives the girl an apologetic smile as Harper and Maya follow Octavia’s actions and give her and Raven a hug.

“Yeah, she can’t drive.” Raven teases and Clarke rolls her eyes.

“No, trust us, it took us a second to find this place too and we’ve been here before.” Harper smiles.

“Ooh, are those cookies?” Maya’s eyes light up as she reaches for one. “Can I?”

“Yeah, of course, that’s why we brought them.” Clarke motions towards the cookies and the other girls dig in.

“Come on, I think Murphy and Jasper are about to try and wrestle and I need my boyfriend to not get broken.” Maya makes her way towards the backdoor and Octavia and Clarke get their kids’ attention before following everyone else outside.

Bellamy hadn’t been lying when he said that Octavia and Lincoln had a pool. They have a very big in ground pool, which isn’t common for where they live, but it’s amazing. They even have a hot tub connected to the side of it. There’s also a place to the right of the pool where there’s a place for a fire with a circular bench built around it. Not to mention there is a wonderful garden that Clarke can’t help but be envious of.

“ _That’s_ what you call wrestling, Murphy?” Clarke looks up and sees Wells standing next to Miller, Zeke, and Monty while Bellamy and Lincoln tend to the boiling pots behind them. The two boys on the ground stop fighting and Murphy smirks up at Wells.

“Think you can do better, Jaha?”

“Oh, I know I can.” Wells smirks and Clarke knows _exactly_ where this is going. Her and the other girls make their way towards where the guys are. Monty says hi and Emori gives them a hug, then Zeke gives Raven a kiss and hands her a beer, and Miller hands Clarke one.

“Wells.” He looks over and Clarke gives him a pointed look. She doesn’t need him upsetting the people he just met, but she knows he can if he wants to.

“It’s just a little wrestling, Clarke.” He hands her his drink and she sighs. Jasper makes his way back to the group and tells the girls hi before settling in by Maya. By this point Bellamy and Lincoln have both figured out what’s going on and Bellamy makes his way towards Clarke, giving her a kiss on the forehead and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“He knows how to wrestle?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Then I can’t wait to watch this.” Bellamy grins then leans over and says something to Miller, then they shake hands. Clarke raises an eyebrow at him.

“Did you just make a bet about who will win?”

Bellamy gives her a mischievous grin. “Maybe.” Clarke rolls her eyes, smiling, and she’s pretty sure she can hear Octavia snort then say something like _“boys”._ Zeke walks over to where Murphy and Wells are positioning themselves and tells them he wants a _clean_ match, looking pointedly at Murphy while he says it, then gives them the signal to go.

Now, one thing none of the people know, besides Raven, is that Wells Jaha holds the record for fastest submission and the longest winning streak back at their high school. He got both of those as a sophomore and they stayed with him until he graduated, and, from what Kane has told her, Clarke knows that no one has broken them yet. He got offered numerous wrestling scholarships, _full-ride_ scholarships, but those didn’t deter him from sticking with Harvard.

It’s been a while since she’s seen Wells really wrestle someone, him trying to teach her doesn’t count. But she still isn’t surprised when the match against Murphy is over in five minutes. Knowing him, he could’ve ended it sooner, but he probably didn’t want to make it seem like Murphy just got his ass handed to him. When Zeke calls match, Wells stands up and reaches a hand out to Murphy. At first, Clarke is worried that he’s _really_ pissed Murphy off, because he certainly _looks_ pissed off, but after a second Murphy smirks and lets Wells help him up.

“You wrestled in high school, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Should’ve known.” Murphy snorts then Emori hands him a drink. “But that was a good match.”

“Yeah, you’re not bad.”

“Even better when I can fight dirty.” Murphy smirks again before catching sight of Clarke and Raven. “Hey, where’s the hobbit?”

“Hobbit?” Wells eyebrows knit in confusion but Madi and August laugh as Octavia blows out bubbles for them and it seems to click in his mind. “You call Madi a hobbit?”

“She’s short!”

“She’s a _child_ , John.” Emori rolls her eyes, obviously they’ve had this conversation on _multiple_ occasions, but they both seem to still get a laugh out of it.

“Hey, just an observation.” Murphy holds up his hands then makes his way to Clarke and Raven, giving them each a hug. “So, ready to celebrate the end of the semester?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“We still have finals to take, I wouldn’t exactly call this the end of the semester.” Raven says, and Clarke can see a wicked gleam in Murphy’s eyes.

“Reyes, there’s only finals week left so I _would_ consider this the end of the semester.” He holds up his beer. “Let’s party!”

Somewhere music starts up and Clarke laughs. She has a feeling that this party is going to be different than the one from the previous weekend, and that’s pretty much verified when Octavia pulls her aside and tells her that she can put their stuff into one of the guest rooms so Clarke doesn’t have to worry about driving home later tonight.

Bellamy alternates between stirring the pot and being around Madi and Clarke. She watches as he plays with Madi and can’t help how full her heart feels as she looks on. Madi is always grinning when he’s around and Clarke swears Bellamy’s smile gets a little brighter each time she giggles. Everyone’s right, if no one knew any better then they would assume that she is his kid.

At some point she gets roped into dancing with Raven and Harper and when she takes a break, she barely has time to register what’s happening until she’s upside down over Bellamy’s shoulder and he’s walking her towards the pool.

“Bellamy! Put me down!”

“No can do, Princess.” She can hear the grin in his voice and as he goes to throw her in, she grabs the back of his pants and he falls in with her. She’s grateful that she decided to put her swimsuit on under a tank top and shorts, but she doesn’t have a change of clothes. Which is just bad planning on her part.

When she breaks through the surface, she watches as Bellamy does the same and shakes the droplets of water out of his hair. His grin makes him look years younger, and Clarke feels like she’s getting a look into what teen Bellamy must’ve been like. _Those girls never stood a chance_. His grin doesn’t leave his face as he walks towards her, and she backs up.

“What’s the matter, Princess? Don’t want to have some fun?”

“Oh, you don’t think I want to play?” Clarke tilts her head to the side, matching the silent challenge in Bellamy’s eyes.

“I don’t know, do you?” Bellamy keeps walking towards her and she smirks.

“You tell me.” Clarke jumps and Bellamy falls back into the water with her. Bellamy shoots up with Clarke in his arms then he throws her in again, following her willingly this time. While they’re underwater, Clarke opens her eyes and sees Bellamy smiling at her. She smiles too and Bellamy pulls her in for a kiss. It reminds her of the Percy Jackson series she read back in middle school.

When they break out of the water, they’re met with some whoops and cheers from the girls and Wells. Clarke hadn’t realized that everyone was watching, but I guess its kind of hard _not to_ when you’re in the center of the party. Clarke can feel her face heat up, but Bellamy’s smile never leaves his. They hold each other’s eyes until Madi’s voice breaks them out of their little bubble.

“Mama!” Clarke looks over and sees Madi trying to get into the pool at the stairs, but Emori is there helping her in. “I want to play.” Clarke and Bellamy smile at each other then swim over to where Madi is standing, still holding Emori’s hand.

“You want to play?” Clarke lifts Madi out of the water before falling back and her daughter giggles.

Everyone then decides to get in the pool as well, and Clarke and Bellamy take off their wet clothes so they’re just in their swimsuits. If Clarke thought that watching Bellamy take off a dry shirt was something to watch, watching him take off a wet shirt that’s sticking to him is something else entirely.

“First batch should be done in about thirty minutes!” Lincoln calls from his spot, stirring the crawfish.

“How exactly do you even eat crawfish?” Wells asks from the other side of the pool.

“You mean to tell me you’ve _never_ had crawfish?” Harper looks at him, shocked.

“Nope.”

“Clarke, how could you let him go this long without even trying it?”

“He never comes when they’re in season.” Clarke shrugs.

“Then we have a lot to teach you today.”

Everyone mills about in the pool while the crawfish finishes boiling and then Bellamy helps Miller and Zeke bring some tables out of the house and line them up while everyone else gets to work covering them with newspapers. They just finish when they hear Bellamy and Lincoln call out for everyone to get ready. Octavia and Clarke make sure the kids are clear of the table as the others make a wall around the edges to keep the crawfish from spilling over.

“Wow, that looks good.” Wells says in astonishment and Clarke smirks.

“I hope you like spicy stuff.” Octavia grins and Wells looks between her and the table.

“I guess we’re about to find out.”

No one waits for the food to cool off, that’s just not something you do down here. Monty and Jasper pull some trashcans to each side of the table. Everyone digs in and Clarke watches as Wells studies everyone else while they break open the shells, but they all do it too fast for him to actually catch on to what to do. Lincoln notices and peels his slowly so Wells can mimic it. _Twist the tail and the head apart, suck the head_ (yes, she knows how that sounds), _crack the tail, peel the tail, and voila._

Wells looks grossed out at the fact that he’s supposed to suck the juice out, if Clarke’s being honest, she thought the same, but it’s pretty much the best part of the crawfish. When Wells sees Clarke do the same, he tips his head back and when he straightens, there’s a smile on his face. He goes to work on the tail and while it’s not as clean or swift as the others, but he gets it done successfully his first time and after he finishes his first one, he gets right to work on his second.

“It’s really good. Once you can get past the beady eyes.” He holds one of the creatures up next to Clarke’s face and she laughs, swatting it away.

“Yeah, this is the best I think I’ve ever had.” Clarke smiles at Bellamy and Lincoln who seem proud of themselves. As they should be. Clarke peels another crawfish and hands the meat to Madi. Her daughter may be a little too young to peel her own, but that doesn’t stop her from enjoying it.

Bellamy and Clarke both end up taking turns handing Madi some peeled crawfish while joining everyone else in their conversations about school and any plans they have for the summer. Monty and Harper talk about how Monty’s family is bringing them on a cruise around the Caribbean; Lincoln and Octavia talk about how they’re wanting to bring August camping; Jasper and Maya bring up their plans to find an apartment together; and everyone asks about Wells and what he’s going to college for.

“I’m studying to become a lawyer.”

“So, I’m guessing it was either lawyer or politician, huh?” Murphy asks from across the table and Wells nods.

“Yeah, pretty much. There was no way in hell I was going to become a politician. I hated those events.” Wells groans and Raven elbows him in the side. “Ow, what was that for?”

“Language.”

“Oh, sorry.” He gives Octavia and Clarke an apologetic look, but it doesn’t seem like either of the kids were too invested in the conversation. They were paying attention to the food that kept getting placed in front of them.

“Where exactly do you go to college, Wells?” Maya asks and Clarke can see Wells pause. He wasn’t hesitating, but more going through all of the possible ways this could go.

“Harvard.” _That_ got everyone’s attention, and they all stopped eating. Well, except for Clarke, Raven, and Bellamy who already knew.

“Harvard?” Jasper echoes and Wells nods.

“Yep.”

“Like the Ivy League, Harvard?” Harper is just as shocked.

“That’s the one.”

“What made you decide to come down here, Clarke?” Emori tilts her head to the side, genuinely curious. Wells smirks.

“She had a rebellious phase her senior year of high school and decided to apply to the schools she knew her mother wouldn’t approve of. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, but her mother was pretty adamant about Georgetown.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Georgetown, medical degree, my own practice by thirty-five, she had my entire life planned out for me.” Clarke knows she probably sounds like someone who was raised with a silver spoon, but that’s not her. “But I didn’t want any of that. I love my life down here and I’m getting a degree in something I love,” she shrugs. “This is me, not those stuffy black-tie events you always dragged me to.” She points at Wells and he holds up his hands in defense.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for.” Clarke chuckles and rolls her eyes.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, _I_ , for one, am glad you decided to rebel and come here.” Raven winks at her.

“Me too, you’re cool, Griffin.” Emori smiles and everyone follows saying that they’re glad she decided to come here, too.

The conversations go back to just chattering with one another and before long, another batch is being boiled and everyone is in the pool again. This party is surprisingly more laid back than the last one had been, but they’re all drinking a little more than they had last time. But even so, Clarke and Bellamy, along with Lincoln and Octavia, still limit their drinking so they can keep up with their kids.

When Clarke and Octavia put Madi and August down for their naps, it doesn’t take long for Murphy and Jasper to realize this and they have a line of shots set up before Clarke can blink. She’s pretty sure the last time she took shots was at the graduation party her and Wells had when they graduated high school. Either that or the night she met Finn. But that isn’t something she wants to think about; he usually puts her in a sour mood.

“Griffin, shot!” Murphy puts a shot glass in her hand, and she stares at it.

“I don’t think—”

“Come on, Clarke, just one.” He grins at her and she sighs. _Just one can’t hurt_. They salute each other then tip the dark liquid back. It goes down like syrup and she wonders who could ever do a shot with Hennessy. Not her thing.

“Woohoo!” Jasper cheers them on, but he gets shushed by Octavia and Maya who remind him that there’s two children sleeping upstairs. Clarke hands the glass back to Murphy who winks then walks towards Emori and pours her a shot.

“So, does this mean that Princess has a wild side?” Bellamy’s deep voice whispers in her ear as a hand snakes around her waist. She lets herself fall back against his chest.

“Maybe you’ll see it one day.” She turns and smirks up at him.

“I think I’d like that.”

“Mmm…me too.” She brings her hand up to hold onto the back of his neck and he leans down to give her a kiss.

The kids sleep through the second batch of crawfish but when they wake up, they’re immediately ready to jump back into the pool. The rest of the day goes pretty much the same, and when it gets into the evening, Octavia and Clarke make the kids a real dinner, not just crawfish meat, before finally putting them to bed for good. Of course, Bellamy helps put Madi to sleep, and he and Clarke tip toe out of August’s room before joining everyone back outside.

Harper and Monty have occupied the swing with Harper’s head propped up by Monty’s lap; there’s a game of beer pong going on where it’s Wells and Murphy against Miller and Zeke; Raven is lazily swimming in the pool with Emori, and Clarke expects it has something to do with it being therapeutic for her leg; and everyone else is just standing around watching the show being put on by the four drunkest people there.

“I don’t remember the last time I saw Wells this drunk.” Clarke says between laughs as Murphy and Wells look like they have to hold each other up.

“I’ve never seen Murphy take to someone so quickly.” Bellamy smirks as the guys in question hug each other once they realize they just beat Miller and Zeke. How they were able to do that exactly, Clarke will never know.

“Who’s next?” Jasper’s voice carries, but he seems to have remembered that there are kids sleeping again.

“What do you say, Princess,” Bellamy looks down at Clarke, “want to give it ago?” Clarke looks from Bellamy to the table where more cups are being set up for another game.

“Sure, why not?” Clarke shrugs and Bellamy smirks.

“We’ll go!” Bellamy holds up one hand while grabbing Clarke’s with the other and steering her towards the table.

“Ooh, interesting.” Emori calls from the pool. “My money is on Clarke.”

“You don’t even know who they’re playing against.” Murphy retorts and Emori sticks her tongue out at him.

“We’ll go.” Octavia makes her way to the other edge of the table with Lincoln following behind her. Clarke knows that she can handle her alcohol, but she’s pretty sure Lincoln can handle it a lot better. They’re not even playing with beer, it’s whiskey.

“Oh, this I have to see.” Harper and Monty move from their place on the swing and join the throng of people that have gathered around the table. Even Emori and Raven have gotten out of the pool.

“Sibling versus sibling, parents versus parents, who will triumph in the battle of wills? Let’s find out!” Jasper’s announcer voice is actually pretty good and if it wasn’t for the fact that Clarke is pretty sure she’s about to get her ass handed to her, she would’ve told him so.

“You first, big brother.” Octavia throws her brother the ball and he smirks. Clarke and Wells’ rivalry growing up is nothing compared to what’s going down between Bellamy and Octavia right now.

Bellamy starts off the game but as it progresses, Clarke realizes that even though she can hold her own, and so can Lincoln, it’s almost as if Bellamy and Octavia have specifically trained for this. As far as she’s been able to keep up with, Bellamy and Octavia are tied for the number of cups they’ve made and each of them only have one cup left on their sides. Everyone around the table is quiet now, no one even dares to breathe too loudly in case it breaks the players concentration. It’s Bellamy’s turn to go and Octavia tilts her head to the side, her piercing green eyes staring into her brother’s brown ones. As Bellamy lines up the shot, he smirks, and Clarke knows that they’re about to win.

 _Plunk_. The ping pong ball sinks straight into the last cup in front of Lincoln and Octavia and everyone cheers. Sure, they would’ve cheered no matter who won, but Emori is the loudest and Clarke watches as Murphy hands her twenty dollars. Bellamy continues smirking at his little sister and she shakes her head, glaring, but Clarke can see that she’s trying not to smile.

“Better luck next time, O.” Bellamy puts an arm around his little sister’s shoulders, and she gives him a playful punch to the side.

“Douche.”

“Is that any way to talk to your loving brother?”

“God, you’re such a dork.” Octavia snorts but gives her brother a side hug. “But I love you anyway, even if you did just kick my ass.”

Bellamy ruffles Octavia’s hair which leads to her swatting him away and he makes his way over to where Clarke is picking up the cups with Lincoln. When she looks up, Bellamy’s eyes are hooded. Then Raven shows up, shoves two bottles of water into their hands, then disappears with Zeke. Clarke and Bellamy both pretty much drain the bottles instantly.

“I think a movie is a good idea.” Bellamy says, looking towards the house.

“A movie sounds great.”

“Movie? I want to watch a movie.” Jasper and Maya stop on their way towards the house. “Marper, movie?” Monty and Harper both nod in agreement, already seeming to fall asleep.

“Marper?” Clarke turns to Bellamy who smiles.

“Jasper came up with a relationship name for them.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Clarke smiles as she wraps a hand around Bellamy’s waist and his arm goes around their shoulders, both making their way towards the house behind Jasper and Maya. “Do you think he has one for us?”

“Bellarke!” Jasper calls over his shoulder and Clarke barks out a laugh.

“Do you have a name for everyone?” Jasper turns around, giving her a lopsided grin.

“Yes, I do.” Maya propels him into the house and Clarke turns to look at Bellamy who merely shrugs.

It seems that everyone got the memo for the movie because there’s already blankets, and pillows thrown about the living room. It’s clear that no one is in any shape to drive so Clarke assumes that they’re all going to crash here. Luckily Octavia had already given her and Bellamy one of the three spare bedrooms.

 _Van Helsing_ gets put on and everyone nurses on their water bottles, trying to fight off sleep long enough to at least finish one of them. Hangovers are no joke, even if you are twenty-one. About halfway through the movie everyone is pretty much comatose, and Clarke is finding Bellamy’s heartbeat to be a soothing way to fall asleep. She starts awake when Bellamy shakes her shoulder a little and murmurs that it’s time for them to get in bed.

They hold on to each other as they go up the stairs, more so they don’t lose contact with each other rather than actually needing support. When they get into the room, Clarke finds a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt waiting for her. _Octavia must have left it_. There’s even a pair of sweatpants waiting for Bellamy, but he says he stashes a bag here in case of emergencies.

Once they get changed and settled into bed, Bellamy’s arms open for Clarke like it’s something they’ve done a thousand times, and she goes immediately. There’s something about getting to cuddle with your significant other after an eventful day that just makes Clarke sigh contently. Being in his arms is pretty much the best place ever. Bellamy’s fingers find her hair and begins coming them through it. She silently praises herself for brushing it once they got inside. Clarke hums as his fingertips massage her scalp and she leans up, pressing a kiss to his neck. A sound comes from the back of Bellamy’s throat and Clarke smirks before kissing his neck again.

“I thought you were tired?” Bellamy doesn’t open his eyes, so Clarke props her head up on his chest to look at him, his fingers never leaving her hair.

“I am.”

“But you’re doing that.”

“I am.” She smirks and he opens his eyes to look at her.

“You’re confusing me.” He gives her a lazy smile and she giggles. He turns so they’re facing each other, and his hand moves from her hair to trailing his fingertips up and down her back, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. “What do you want, Clarke?”

“I think it’s pretty obvious what I want.” She looks into his eyes and they darken immediately. Like they had the night before.

“Are you sure?” His wanting confirmation only makes her want him more. She leans forward and gives him a deep kiss. His hands wind back up in her hair and she presses their bodies together. When they break apart, they’re both panting.

“I’m pretty sure we were interrupted last night.” Clarke smirks and bites down on her bottom lip. Bellamy grins.

“Yeah, I think we were, too.” He crashes his lips into hers and instantly she’s lost in the hurricane that is Bellamy Blake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad with how it ended :) We have two more and then the epilogue (and it's really bumming me out that it's almost over but I can't seem to stop writing) but I've been wondering if I should do a part two and possibly do the first chapter from Bellamy's POV? I'm not sure if any of you would like to read that if so then let me know down in the comments! :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> P.S. It's taking a lot of self control to NOT expand the length of this story to like 15 or even 20 chapters lol


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Mother's Day in Arkadia, so Bellamy takes his favorite girls out :)

Wells’ time in Arkadia was wonderful but it went by faster than what Clarke anticipated. After finals, she took him around the town, he joined in more get-togethers with everyone else, and he stayed up until the Saturday before Mother’s Day, but he cooked Clarke breakfast and then he and Raven got her chocolate and her favorite wine then they all huddled in the living room under a big fort after Madi went to sleep watching some cheesy horror movies. Her friends never forgot Mother’s Day and the next day Wells would be going home to see his grandmother along with a Mother’s Day present for Abby.

When actual Mother’s Day came around, Clarke woke up early to drive Wells to the airport and they said goodbye while they were both trying not to cry and Clarke made him promise that he would come back for her and Madi’s birthday along with her mom and Kane, like that was something he would ever miss. Now, Clarke is lounging in her bed, since it’s still a little early to actually get up, and she keeps looking over at her phone waiting for Bellamy to text her. _It’s still a little too early._ Bellamy had opted to give her and Wells some time alone his last couple of days in Arkadia but from the way Raven talked, he had been planning something for Mother’s Day. Clarke just isn’t sure what.

At some point, Clarke drifts off to sleep but she wakes up when she feels her bed dip. _Madi’s not that heavy_. She opens her eyes and laying down next to her with his head propped in his hand is Bellamy. She smiles instantly before scooting closer to him.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Princess.”

“Mmm…yes it is.” Clarke throws an arm around Bellamy’s waist and her leg over his hips. _Mine._ Ever since that night at Octavia’s, she can’t seem to get enough of him, but they haven’t had a good opportunity to do anything else. Which is really unfortunate because that is _definitely_ something she would like to experience again. Bellamy lays down further and wraps her in his arms, one of his hands going to her hair while the other traces lazy circles on her thigh. She sighs contently. “Can we just stay in bed today?”

“Do you want to?” Bellamy’s fingers move up her thigh a little more and she pushes her leg further over his hip, making his hand go even higher. He chuckles before pulling her hair lightly so she looks up at him. “If we do, then we won’t do anything I have planned.”

“What about what I have planned?” Clarke challenges, quirking an eyebrow at him. He smirks then leans forward, rubbing their noses together.

“And what do you want to do, baby?”

“You.” Clarke grins and he laughs. The kind of laugh that makes his entire chest vibrate.

“Then I think I can make an exception.” Bellamy smirks before giving her an open mouth kiss and she melts into him. “It is your day after all.”

Surprisingly, the two of them had enough time to do absolutely _everything_ they both had in mind _and_ get dressed before Madi came rushing into the room with a handmade Mother’s Day card. Madi settled between Clarke and Bellamy, not thinking anything of Bellamy being there when she woke up. The three of them spent most of the morning just laying in bed just chatting about nothing in particular and, already, this Mother’s Day is shaping up to be the best Clarke has ever had.

As it gets closer to eleven, Bellamy takes Madi out into the kitchen to get to work on a late breakfast while Clarke jumps into the tub. Though, that doesn’t keep Bellamy from slipping away once Raven wakes up and making his way into the bathroom, saying that he needs to clean up too. _Yeah, best day ever._

When Clarke walks into the kitchen she sees the big bouquet of flowers that Bellamy has gotten her and she can’t stop smiling at him as she eats. After breakfast, Bellamy tells Clarke that he wants to take her and Madi to the movies to see the new Dumbo movie. Ever the gentleman, Bellamy opens Clarke’s door, which isn’t new with him, he buys all of their tickets, and any snacks that Clarke wanted for the movie. Madi tries to sit between them but Clarke is adamant about sitting next to her boyfriend during the movie, so Madi sits in her lap while Bellamy’s arm is around her shoulders. Madi loves the movie, as does Clarke, and when they’re leaving Bellamy goes to one of the claw machines and snags one Dumbo plushie while also knocking another into the bin, so Clarke and Madi both walk out with a stuffed animal.

Next, Bellamy doesn’t tell her where he’s taking them, but he pulls into the parking lot of a new restaurant that had just opened about a month ago, The Dropship Bar & Grill. Clarke’s been dying to check this place out and she turns to Bellamy, grinning from ear to ear.

“We’re eating here?”

“Yeah, I remember you eyeing this place when we drove past it last week,” Bellamy rubs the back of his neck, “surprise?”

As an answer, Clarke leans across the console and gives him a kiss. She can feel him chuckle against her lips at first before he reaches up and cradles the back of her head. Madi giggles from the backseat and the two of them pull apart, smiling, before Bellamy jumps out of the truck and rushes to open her door. Bellamy carries Madi in one arm while holding Clarke’s hand with the other as they enter the restaurant. It’s a mix between modern and futuristic with metal tables and a bar that’s glowing from neon lights placed under it, and the ceiling is painted like outer space with the lights acting as stars. It’s beautiful.

“Hi, welcome to the Dropship, how many in your party?” The hostess smiles and Bellamy gets a table for three. As soon as they’re seated, someone arrives with a high chair for Madi and the hostess places some crayons and coloring pages in front of her. “Can I get y’all started with your drinks?”

They order their drinks, root beer for Bellamy, Dr. Pepper for Clarke, and apple juice for Madi, then the waitress gives them a few minutes to pick over the menu. Madi’s been going through a phase the past week where she doesn’t want to eat anything that isn’t chicken nuggets so her and Clarke argue over what to eat but Bellamy steps in.

“How about you get chicken nuggets but you also eat some fruit, then we get ice cream?”

“Ice cream?”

“Yeah,” Bellamy smiles, “ice cream. But you have to eat all of the fruit, okay?”

Madi seems to think about this for a second before nodding her head. “Okay.”

They order their food and while they’re waiting, Clarke tries grilling Bellamy on anything else he may have in mind but he doesn’t let on. He just grins and tells her “soon, Princess.” They’re just finishing up their food, raving about how delicious it is but they both agree that they would pick Demeter’s Diner any day. They start to talk about whether or not they want to split a dessert or not when someone Clarke _really_ doesn’t want to see comes up to them.

“Bellamy?” Both Bellamy and Clarke turn to look at Echo standing a few feet from their table.

“Echo.” Bellamy’s tone is casual, but he doesn’t smile at her.

Echo glances towards Clarke and Madi and gives them a small nod. “What brings you here?”

“We’re celebrating Mother’s Day,” Bellamy gives Clarke a warm smile before turning back to his colleague, “you?”

“I’m doing the same, actually.”

“Oh, is—”

“Echo, the bill is paid.” Roan Azgeda appears beside Echo with an older woman following behind him. He nods at Bellamy before his eyes settle on Clarke, then he breaks out into a grin. “Clarke Griffin!”

“Hey, Azgeda.” Clarke smiles as Roan walks around Echo and bends down to give Clarke a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

“Thank you, Roan, I hear you’re here celebrating too?”

“Oh, yes, Clarke, this is my mother, Nia Azgeda.” Roan gestures towards his mother and Clarke stands, shaking the woman’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Azgeda, happy Mother’s Day.”

“And to you too, Clarke,” Nia smiles then turns her attention to Bellamy and Madi. “The two of you have a beautiful child.”

Clarke can feel her cheeks heat up but she thinks it would be more of a hassle to explain the situation to a woman she’s just met so she just says, “Thank you.” Clarke turns to Bellamy, kind of expecting him to be freaked out that she didn’t correct the other lady, but he just grins at her. Echo on the other hand, well, she looks like she’s just swallowed something sour. “Roan, Ms. Azgeda, this my boyfriend Bellamy Blake.”

“Nice to meet you.” Roan holds out his hand and Bellamy shakes it. “How do you know Echo?”

“We work together at the University.”

“Oh, that’s nice, maybe we’ll see each other on campus.” Roan smiles at Echo before turning back to Clarke. “It was nice seeing you again, Clarke,” he leans over and gives her another kiss on the cheek, “tell Raven I said hi.” He rubs Madi’s head before he and his mom say goodbye, heading towards the door with Echo following them.

“That was weird.” Clarke breathes out, chuckling as she takes her seat again. “Echo didn’t seem to like the fact that I didn’t correct Nia.”

“Ah, don’t worry about her.” Bellamy smiles then reaches over, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks.”

“And what do you think?” Clarke forces herself to look up at Bellamy, her heart hammering in her chest. It’s only been three weeks since they met and she just let someone believe that Madi is his kid. _Who does that?_

“I think I like it.” Bellamy smirks and Clarke can feel her heart stutter.

“Really?”

“Really.” Bellamy leans in and gives her a kiss. “But how do you know Roan?”

“Oh god, him and Raven dated for a few months and those two never seemed to leave the bedroom,” Clarke groans. “But when they did, he and I always got along, though Raven said that Echo never left them alone even though they weren’t a thing anymore.”

“She didn't?”

“That’s what Raven says,” Clarke shrugs, “if you ask me, I think you dodged a bullet.”

“Yeah, me too.” Bellamy gives her another smile before they turn their attention back towards the menus.

In the end, Clarke said that it was a nice day to go to the park and Bellamy agreed, saying they could all get ice cream there. It took a little convincing on Madi’s part that they were, in fact, going to get ice cream, but she wanted to go to the park too.

Once they get their and grab their ice cream cones, Clarke and Bellamy walk hand in hand while Madi runs around chasing some of the butterflies in between getting licks of the ice cream. They both settle at the same picnic table that had sat at the first time they came to the park together. It’s such a relaxing day, other than the run-in with Echo, but even that wasn’t so bad since she got to see Roan, and Bellamy hadn’t run away when she let Nia think that Bellamy was Madi’s dad. _Honestly, where was this guy three years ago?_

“Penny for your thoughts?” Clarke tears her gaze away from the lake that surrounds the park and looks at Bellamy. His black curls are getting tousled by the wind and his

“I was just thinking about what Nia said.”

Bellamy’s eyebrows crease together. “What about it?” 

“Well,” Clarke smiles, her face heating up as she remembers what everyone has told her. “She’s not the first person to realize that Madi looks like you.” 

“What are you getting at, Princess?” Bellamy smirks and Clarke’s heart feels like it’s overflowing.

“I don’t know, I just—“ she looks over at Madi whose playing with a stick, “I wonder what would’ve happened if I had ran into you first.” 

Understanding flashes in Bellamy’s eyes and he reaches across the table to take her hand. “I’m not the same person I was three years ago, Clarke, but even if I was, you wouldn’t have met Raven and there’s the chance that Madi wouldn’t be here right now.” He glances over at Madi and smiles. “I’m happy with how things have turned out.”

“Me too.” Clarke smiles then leans over the picnic table to give him a kiss.

They spend an hour at the park and Bellamy ends up pushing Clarke and Madi on the swings again. As far as dates go, this one is up there. Afterwards, Bellamy surprises them by bringing them to the zoo. Clarke’s been meaning to bring Madi now that classes are over, but since Wells had been in town she put it off.

Since Clarke didn’t prepare for this, she doesn’t have a stroller for Madi but Bellamy tells her that it’s not a problem and picks Madi up, placing her on his shoulders. As they walk around, Clarke talks about the animals and Bellamy seems surprised that she knows so much but she tells him that Finn had been obsessed with nature documentaries and she ended up absorbing some of the information without really wanting to.

They stop and get snowballs but before long Madi is beginning to fall asleep on Bellamy’s shoulders so he takes to carrying her and they make their way back to his truck so he can bring them home. Madi sleeps during the entire ride and Bellamy’s hand stays firmly on Clarke’s thigh, his thumb rubbing across the material of her shorts. When they make it back to her house, Bellamy carries Madi to her bed and they both tuck her in before joining Raven out in the living room.

“Fun day?” Raven asks, smirking at the couple.

“Yeah, really fun.” Clarke looks over at Bellamy who’s already smiling at her. “Oh, we ran into Roan today while we were eating, he says hi.”

“Roan?” Raven’s eyebrows nearly touch her hairline and Clarke plops down onto the couch.

“Yep, Roan, and Echo, and Roan’s mom Nia.”

“Echo was there too?” Raven looks between Clarke and Bellamy.

“Yeah, that was, uh, something.” Bellamy says, sitting onto the couch next to Clarke.

“Well, I guess she works fast.” Raven snorts and Clarke grins.

“She looked like she was ready to punch something when Roan’s mom said that Bellamy and I had a beautiful daughter.”

Raven chokes on the Gatorade she had been drinking. “She said what?”

“Yeah, and I didn’t correct her. I didn’t think it would be wise to go into that whole story.”

“And you went along with it?” Raven turns her gaze towards Bellamy who doesn’t back down from it.

“Yes, I did.”

Raven considers him for a moment before smirking. “Good.” Raven turns and lays back down on the love seat. “If the two of you want to continue you’re day of love then I can watch the little one.”

“You’d do that?” Clarke looks between her friend and her boyfriend. Of course she wants to spend more time with Bellamy, but it’s Mother’s Day and, well, she wouldn’t be celebrating it if it wasn’t for the little girl sleep one room over.

“Obviously.” Raven turns her head around and grins. “You’ve spent most of your day with her, Clarke, I’m sure you could do with a few more hours of just the two of you.”

Clarke turns to Bellamy who grins. “Sounds fun.”

“Okay, thank you, Raven!” Clarke squeals before jumping up and smothering her friend in a hug then she grabs Bellamy’s hand and they head out the door.

“So, anywhere in particular you want to go, Princess?”

“Mmm…surprise me.” Clarke props her head up on her hand and smiles at Bellamy. He gets a mischievous grin on his face before pulling out of the driveway and Clarke’s body begins to thrum with excitement.

They’re driving for about ten minutes when Clarke decides that she can’t take it anymore and begins to ask Bellamy where he’s taking her. They drive by the stores and the restaurants and the parks, and as they keep going, Clarke notices that the buildings become fewer and far between before Bellamy finally pulls onto a gravel driveway. There’s trees lining both sides, so Clarke can’t make anything out, but after a couple of minutes she can see a house at the end of it. It’s big.

There’s a wide staircase in the front of it that fans out towards the bottom, it’s two stories high, and there’s hanging flower plants all across the second story balcony and beautiful bushes across the front of the house. It’s a picturesque antebellum home and it takes Clarke’s breath away.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” is all Clarke can say with the limited thinking she has going on. Bellamy puts his truck in park then opens her door, helping her out. “Bellamy, it’s beautiful.”

“Do you want to see inside?”

“Yes, please.” Clarke follows Bellamy, her hand in his, as he unlocks the door and guides her inside.

There’s stairs to the left, immediately when they walk in, a chandelier on the ceiling, and there’s a living room through a doorway to the right. Bellamy let’s go of her hand and she wanders into the living room, marveling at how ornate everything is and she can’t seem to take her eyes off the artwork on the walls. It’s only when she walks closer to one painting above the fire place that she notices all of the pictures. There’s one of a little boy and girl covered in mud, another of the little boy pulling the girl in a wagon, a third of the little boy in a cap and gown missing two front teeth, then the children get older, but she would’ve recognized that curly head of dark hair anywhere.

“This is your house.” Clarke turns to look at Bellamy who’s leaning against the doorframe at the other side of the room, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, it’s been in my family for a long time.” He pushes off the doorframe and walks towards her stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I thought it was about time I showed you.”

“Bellamy, this place is beautiful.” Clarke spins around, taking the room in. “Like this is gorgeous.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Bellamy grins, amused at Clarke’s reaction. “Want the tour?”

“Please.” Bellamy holds his hand out and Clarke takes it.

He walks her through the living room and across the hall into the dining room, then into the kitchen, then from the kitchen into the sitting room, before he brings her up the stairs and shows her the bedrooms. There’s two guest rooms that are furnished with beds, two dressers, and two night stands, then he shows her Octavia’s bedroom which was unmistakably hers. There were posters on the walls, dark curtains pulled back from the windows, and on her mirror were dozens and dozens of pictures of her friends from when she was teenager. Bellamy explained that after her and Lincoln moved in together he couldn’t bring himself to clear the room out, which ended up being a good thing because every now and then everyone will come over and talk about ‘the old days’ as he put it. Then he showed her Miller’s room and then finally his bedroom.

Clarke can’t help but be enraptured by the way he tells her about the house. His great-grandfather had bought it a long time ago and since then it’s been passed down through the family. It’s a nice house but it’s kind of expensive to upkeep, so that’s why Bellamy’s mom struggled so much when they were growing up. Now, it’s still kind of difficult to maintain but it’s not too bad since he lives with Miller, and they spend a day or two every few weeks cleaning and Octavia comes by whenever she has free time and helps. Monty had actually started a garden in the back yard and he’s the one who set up all of the flowers in the front of the house. Every so often everyone will get together to have dinner at the house and apparently it was the go-to place for high school graduation pictures.

“So it’s just you and Miller living here?” Clarke asks, looking around the master suite.

“Yeah, when him and Bryan broke up we just decided it would be easier if he moved in.”

“And you had been Miller and Murphy’s roommate when you started college?”

“Well, technically they would’ve been my roommates but, yeah.”

“For some reason I was under the impression y’all lived in an apartment.”

“Nope, I was the lucky one that already had a house,” Bellamy smiles then rubs the back of his neck, “this place saw a lot of parties.”

“So Bellamy Blake was a partier _and_ a heartbreaker, I’m shocked.” Clarke teases as she wraps her arms around his neck. “Should I be worried about how many girls have been in this room?”

“Not one.” Clarke’s eyebrows crease Bellamy smirks, bringing his hands up to rest on her waist. “Always used the spare bedroom.”

Clarke barks out a laugh and Bellamy leans forward, pressing their foreheads together. “Would you like to be the first?”

Clarke looks into his eyes and his pupils are so big that she barely see any of the brown in them. “Getting laid twice in one day? Is it my birthday?”

Bellamy grins before backing her up towards the bed. When her legs press against it, he picks her up and practically throws her onto it, causing a startled laugh to escape from her mouth. Bellamy settles above her, one of his legs between hers as he props himself up on his elbows.

“Nope, it’s only Mother’s Day.” Bellamy smirks before leaning down and kissing her neck. The way he said it, the heaviness of his words, has Clarke’s mind reeling with possibilities. _It’s only Mother’s Day_. Then what would happen on her next birthday?

Two hours later, Clarke gets a text from Raven saying that Madi’s been pretty much inconsolable since she woke up and found out that Clarke and Bellamy left without her, so Bellamy drives her back home. As soon as the two of them walk through the door, Madi throws herself into Clarke’s arms and cries saying that she wanted to go too, but the way Raven is looking at the two of them, she knows that Madi going is the last thing they would’ve needed. In order to make it up to her, all of them settle into the living room and let Madi choose whatever movie she wants to watch and she takes her place between Clarke and Bellamy on the couch. In the end, Clarke smiles. _What a wonderful way to celebrate._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Roan so I had to find a way to put him in here :)
> 
> This fic has been extended to 15 chapters! So up next we have Clarke and Madi's birthdays!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's party time!

The month leading up to Clarke and Madi’s birthdays was so nice and wonderful that Clarke had to pinch herself a few times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. After Mother’s Day, her and Bellamy were practically glued to each other’s sides, but they both made sure to spend time with their friends too. Which is why the day before her birthday, she and Raven are currently getting their nails done while Bellamy and Zeke watch Madi.

“How did we both get so lucky?” Clarke mumbles as the massager on the chair gets between her shoulder blades and the nail tech massages her feet.

“Look at us, we’re both hot, why wouldn’t we get lucky?” Raven grins and Clarke looks over at her.

“I think you know why. At least in my case.”

“Clarke, I know you still have that little voice in the back of your head telling you that shit, but I think Bellamy’s more than proven himself at this point.”

“No, I know, I’m not saying that I think he’s going to leave or anything,” Clarke sighs. “I’m just saying I never thought I’d find someone like him.”

“There is no ‘someone like him’, Clarke, there’s only one Bellamy Blake and you got him.” Raven reaches across with her un-painted hand and grabs Clarke’s. “Don’t let doubt scare you away from him.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not.”

For the rest of their time at the nail salon, Clarke and Raven talk about what else they need to get for her and Madi’s birthday decorations and their plan for getting Abby, Kane, Wells, and his dad from the airport. Of course Clarke had to tell her mom about the wonderful guy that she’s been seeing, which gave her about thirty minutes of just gushing about him over the phone, and apparently word got around because now Thelonious Jaha has taken time out of his busy schedule to come meet the guy.

Since Clarke’s birthday is only a week before Madi’s, Clarke just figured it would be easier to have their birthday parties on the same day because, really, Clarke doesn’t need an all-out bash for her birthday, she just likes spending it with Madi and the rest of her family. When Clarke first brought up the party, Bellamy, being the absolute best boyfriend ever, offered to have the party at his house so everyone would be able to fit comfortably. Packing Clarke’s house with everyone would not have gone over very well, she doesn’t even have enough parking space. Then Octavia, Emori, Maya, and Harper all said that they would take over decorating. This was turning into a group effort.

After their nails are dried, Clarke and Raven head back to the house and when they walk in, they can’t help but laugh. It seems that Madi has roped Bellamy and Zeke into sitting at her little table with her plastic tea set in front of them and they’re both wearing princess crowns. When the guys hear them laughing they turn and grin. Bellamy in a tiara is something Clarke didn’t know she needed in her life. Madi smiles and runs towards Clarke and Raven, pulling them towards the table too.

“Tea!”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Clarke picks up the little plastic tea cup and pretends to take a sip of it. “You make a beautiful princess,” she smiles at Bellamy who grins even wider.

“Don’t worry, you’ll always be _my_ princess,” he winks and it makes Clarke giggle.

“What about me?” Zeke turns to Raven and pouts.

“You’re a pretty princess too, babe.” Raven smirks and Zeke smiles, nodding his head once before going back to drinking his tea.

 _A couple of hours alone with a two-year-old and the guys are already under her little finger._ _I am going to have a lot to deal with when she’s older_.

After a few hours of spending time together, Raven and Zeke go to bed and Bellamy and Clarke put Madi to sleep too. _Another birthday, another year older_. After a while, Clarke and Bellamy are laying on the couch watching _Friends_ with her head laying in Bellamy’s lap while he runs his fingers through her hair.

“There’s only an hour left until your birthday,” he murmurs and Clarke turns to look at him.

“And here I am, already falling asleep.” She gives him a lazy smile and he bends down, giving her a kiss.

“We can’t have that, princess.” He taps her side and she sits up, allowing him to stand.

“What do you mean?” He holds his hand out and she takes it, allowing him to pull her to her feet and down the hall.

“I’m not letting you go to sleep until the clock strikes midnight.” He grins and pushes open her door. “I want to be the first person to tell you happy birthday and give you your first present.”

Clarke quirks an eyebrow and smirks. “Oh yeah? And what’s that going to be?”

“Something I believe you’ll enjoy.” His eyes grow darker as closes the distance between them. She can just see his face with the light coming in from behind her curtains.

“Are you sure I will?” She teases and he winds his fingers into her hair.

“I know you will.” Is all he says before crashing his lips into hers.

Clarke starts awake as Madi bursts into the room at exactly 6:00AM screaming “PARTY” with a crown already on her head. Clarke laughs, despite her wanting to go back to sleep, and she sits up, bringing Madi up on the bed with her. She looks over for Bellamy but he’s not there and she can’t help but feel a little twinge of sadness. He made good on his promise that she would enjoy her present, and boy did she.

“Party, huh?” Clarke yawns and Madi nods her head. “Well, do you know the first thing that you have to do for a party? Eat breakfast.”

Madi’s eyes go wide before she slides off the bed and runs down the hall towards the kitchen. _Just a few more hours…_ When Clarke makes her way into the kitchen, she doesn’t see Bellamy there either but Madi is standing on one of her small chairs trying to reach the cabinets above the counter.

“Madi, get down from there, you’re going to hurt yourself.” Clarke plucks Madi off the chair and rests her on her hip. “You want cereal?”

“Yes, please.” Madi nods her head.

“Okay, birthday girl, cereal it is.”

After getting Madi situated at the table, Clarke makes herself some tea, making a mental note that she’s going to have to get to CC’s or Starbucks at some point. She’s just finishing making her bowl of cereal when her phone goes off. It’s her mom saying that they’re getting ready to head to their airport, and after Clarke responds, she decides to text Bellamy.

**Bellamy**

**Clarke:** Where did you disappear to?

 **Bellamy:** Your front door :)

Clarke’s eyebrows crease before a soft knock comes from her front door. She smiles then slips out of the kitchen and throws the door open. In front of her is Bellamy and he’s holding a tray with four cups of coffee in one hand while holding a bouquet of flowers in the other.

“Hello, my gorgeous birthday girl.” He smiles before straightening up and wrapping his free hand around Clarke’s waist. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up, wanted to surprise you and thought I had enough time.”

“I’m sure you’ll make it up to me.” Clarke smiles too and he leans down to kiss her as Madi barrels down the hall towards them.

“Bell!” The two of them pull apart and Clarke takes the tray of coffee and the flowers so Bellamy can pick Madi up.

“There’s the other birthday girl!” He grins then gives her a kiss on top of her head. “Happy Birthday, Madi.”

“Thank you.” Madi beams up at him and his smile gets a little bigger.

The coffee was a wonderful surprise because after not really getting much sleep the night before, Clarke needed it. Everyone had decided that they would start showing up around 11:00AM so they could get the barbeque pit going and make sure that they have enough time to finish whatever else needed to be done before the rest of Clarke’s family flies in at 12:00PM. It’s a hectic day, to say the least.

Bellamy, Madi, Raven, and Zeke all leave Clarke’s house at 11:30AM and head to Bellamy’s while Clarke heads to the airport. Bellamy had tried leaving earlier but Octavia had insisted he wait, saying that they had everything under control. Bellamy let Clarke drive his truck since there would be more room in it so everyone could fit, unlike her car.

On the way to the airport, Clarke couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. Not only was her family going to meet Bellamy, they were going to meet _everyone_ , but at least Wells had told her that he already talked to them about that. When she gets to the airport, she pulls into pick-up area and waits. She isn’t waiting long when her mother comes walking out of the sliding doors, searching around for Clarke’s car. Clarke hops out of the truck, kind of wishing Bellamy was there to help her.

“Mom!” Clarke waves and Abby’s eyes snap towards her daughter.

“Clarke!” Suitcase abandoned, Abby sprints towards Clarke and wraps her in a hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”

“It hasn’t even been two months yet.” Clarke chuckles as Abby pulls away.

“Honey, no matter how old you get I’ll always miss you.”

“I missed you too, mom.” Clarke smiles and Abby pulls her in for a hug again.

“Clarke!” They pull apart as Marcus grabs Abby’s suitcase and makes his way towards them with Wells and his dad following behind him.

“Hey, Kane.” Clarke smiles then gives her stepdad a hug.

“Nice to see you again, Clarke.” Jaha is next up to give her a hug.

“You too, Jaha,” she smiles, “thanks for taking a break to come celebrate Madi’s birthday.”

“You know I wouldn’t miss it.”

“So, I guess I’m last, I see how highly you think of me,” Wells teases and Clarke swats at his arm.

“I just saw you, dork.” Clarke rolls her eyes but wraps her friend in a hug.

When they pull apart, Abby is looking at Bellamy’s truck. “Did you buy this?”

“Nope, Bellamy let me borrow it since it has more space than my car.” Clarke goes to the back and puts down the tailgate. Bellamy had put a cover over the back of his truck and laid down a lining so everyone’s suit cases wouldn’t get dirty. “We have two options, drop everything off at my house then go to the party, or just leave everything back here and go straight to meeting everyone.”

Wells was all for just going straight there and after some debating, so was everyone else. They all piled into the truck with Abby taking the passenger seat. _“Moms get priority”_ as she said. Clarke pulls out of the pickup area and gets on the road, heading towards Bellamy’s house. She had told them that that’s where they were having the party, but she hadn’t told them anything else about it.

“So, Clarke, your mom tells me that Bellamy works at the university,” Jaha starts and Clarke looks at him from the rearview mirror, “how does he like it?”

“He loves it, he’s really passionate about what he’s teaching.”

“That’s good, the world needs more educators that love their job.” Jaha nods sincerely and Clarke can’t help but smile. _Oh, Jaha, ever the politician_.

For the rest of the ride, everyone but Wells asks her questions about what her new friends are like. She tells them that Octavia has her own diner, Zeke met Raven at school…by the time they’re pulling into Bellamy’s gravel driveway, she’s run through what everyone does. Out the corner of her eye, Clarke can see her mother looking around for the house and Clarke smirks.

“We’re almost there.”

“This is a long driveway.”

“Yeah, but I like it.” Clarke looks around at the trees lining the road. She doesn’t know what all they’ve decided to decorate, but when she comes around the curve and sees Bellamy’s house, it’s more than she expected.

There’s ribbons wrapped around the trees, and the pillars, and around the railings on the stairs and second floor. There’s balloons everywhere and as Clarke comes to a stop, she wonders if that’s what the front looks like, then she can’t wait to see the back. No one really says anything as they get out of the truck, and Clarke suspects that they’re just as awed as she had been.

“Bellamy said that everyone’s in the back.” Clarke starts towards the side of the house and everyone follows.

“Holy shit, Clarke,” Wells breathes out once he catches up to her.

“My thoughts exactly.”

When they turn the corner, Clarke’s face breaks out into a grin. There’s more balloons and ribbons across the back porch, someone had brought a slip’n’slide, and water balloons, there’s a kiddie pool next to the big pool, there’s speakers set up on the patio, there’s tables lined up for the crawfish that’s being boiled, and the barbeque pit looks like it’s working overtime. _They know how to throw a party._

Bellamy and Lincoln are running around with Madi and August on their backs while Murphy tends to the pit, and most of the girls are in the pool.

“So I take it that that’s Bellamy?” Her mother points towards Bellamy who’s currently spinning around while holding Madi up in the air.

“Yep, that’s him.” The sound of Madi’s giggles fills Clarke ears and she’s pretty sure she’s never felt so much love for two people. Maya spots Clarke and her family first from under the porch.

“Hey! Y’all are here!” The music gets turned down and everyone turns to look at Clarke and the people behind her.

“Welcome back, Jaha, ready for a rematch?” Murphy smirks as he makes his way towards them.

“You’re not ready for a rematch.” Wells grins.

“Alright, everyone, this is my mom Abby, my step-father Marcus Kane, and Wells’ father Thelonious Jaha.” Her Abby, Marcus, and Jaha wave at everyone. Clarke quickly runs through introductions for everyone else and before long, Kane is talking to Bellamy and Lincoln about what’s being cooked, Jaha is talking to Zeke, Miller, Murphy, and Wells about wrestling, and the girls bring Abby inside with Octavia giving her a tour.

“This is a beautiful house, Octavia.”

“Thank you,” Octavia smiles at Abby. “It kind of got neglected when Bell and I were younger, but he’s put a lot of work into it.” After the tour is over, Clarke helps her mom bring her suitcase inside so she can change into her swimsuit, and Clarke does the same.

Once they’re back outside, Clarke finds that Bellamy is currently surrounded by Marcus and Jaha but he seems fine. Abby makes her way towards them, too, and Clarke knows that it’s going to be an interrogation.

“Hello, Bellamy, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Abby cuts in and holds out her hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you too, Mrs. Kane.” He shakes it and gives her a bright smile.

“Oh, Abby is fine, Bellamy. You have a wonderful house.”

“Thank you, ma’am. I’ve tried to keep it up.”

“Well, you’ve done a wonderful job of it.”

“Thank you, I’m glad you like it.” _Okay, so it’s not an interrogation_. Clarke lets out a sigh of relief.

Abby and Bellamy go on to talk about the house more and that leads to Monty getting brought into the conversation because Abby is envious of all the flowers that are growing. Monty looks kind of shy at first, but Clarke watches as he brightens and then he and Abby are talking about gardening at rapid speed. _Perfect_.

“Care to dance, Princess?” Bellamy appears at Clarke’s side and she listens to what song is being played, “Why Should I Worry” from Oliver and Company. Clarke smiles. _Monty was serious about his Disney playlist_.

“Okay, but I can’t dance.”

“Neither can I, baby.” Bellamy grins then walks her out onto an empty patch of grass. Bellamy twirls her before bringing his hand to rest on her waist and Clarke places her hand on his shoulder, linking their free hands together. They start swaying together and Bellamy’s grin widens before he starts singing along to the song, causing Clarke to laugh.

“Why should I worry? Why should I care? I may not have a dime, but I got street savoire faire…”

Caught up in the mesmerizing man before her, Clarke doesn’t notice Marcus bring Abby out to dance until she hears her mom laugh. When she looks over, her mother is laughing at something Kane had said and Clarke smiles. She loves seeing her mom happy. The next song that gets played is “You’re Welcome” from Moana and Octavia takes to dancing with August while Clarke picks up Madi. Lincoln and Bellamy join in too, and before long there’s two giggling kids and every adult is grinning from ear to ear.

They all spend the new couple of hours singing and dancing, eating hot dogs and crawfish, and swimming but before long the kids need to be put down for their naps. Like usual, Bellamy joins Clarke in putting Madi to sleep and when they get back outside, Abby motions for Clarke to join her at one of the rocking chairs on the patio. Clarke sits down and her mom hands her a Bloody Mary. If there’s any recipe Clarke hopes to master one day, it’s her mom’s recipe for this drink.

“He’s really good with her.” Abby motions to where Bellamy is.

“Yeah, he is.” Clarke follows her mother’s gaze where Bellamy is laughing with Marcus.

“And he seems to make you really happy, too.”

“He does,” Clarke agrees. “Who would’ve guessed I’d find a wonderful guy at the airport.”

“I met your father at an airport.” Abby says it like she’s far away and Clarke turns to look at her mom.

“You did?”

“I never told you?” Abby smiles. “Yeah, I met him at an airport.” Abby pushes her sunglasses to the top of her head. “I was heading to California, I had gotten into a fight with my father about college and decided I would show him by leaving.”

“I knew I got my rebellious streak from you,” Clarke teases and Abby laughs.

“Yeah, you did.” Abby looks at Clarke then smiles. “Our flight had been delayed and we struck up a conversation. He was so funny, and he was smart, I never stood a chance,” Abby chuckles. “He was going there for vacation and we ended up spending our time there together. When we came back, well, the rest is history, isn’t it?”

“I never knew that.” Clarke takes a moment to go over what her mom had just told her. She knew that they had met when they were young, but she didn’t think it had been _that_ long ago.

“Bellamy seems like a good man, Clarke, and I think you’ll be happy with him for a very long time.” Abby reaches across the space between the chairs and squeezes Clarke’s hand.

“Me too.”

“Well, then, go get him.” Abby smiles and Clarke looks back at Bellamy.

“I will.” An idea pops into her mind and Clarke pushes out of the chair and makes her way towards Bellamy, stopping to grab a couple of water balloons from the bucket. Marcus notices her and he scoots over a little as Clarke calls Bellamy’s name. “Bellamy!” He turns around and Clarke lets a water balloon fly, hitting him square in the chest.

“ _Princess_ ,” Bellamy grins Clarke giggles before throwing another.

“Water balloon fight!” Someone calls from off to the side.

“You asked for it.” Bellamy’s grin widens before he heads towards the closest bucket of water balloons and Clarke screams, running towards the other one.

“Girls against boys!” Emori yells as she and Octavia grab a full bucket of balloons and run towards the pool, hiding behind the bushes.

Marcus, Jaha, and Abby all decide to sit out while Marcus and Jaha protect the barbeque pit and the boiling crawfish from flying balloons. The guys put the water balloons into their shirts but since the girls were mostly dressed for swimming, they had to stay near the bucket. Octavia had wickedly good aim and ended up hitting Jasper in the back of the head and Lincoln in the stomach, Emori seemed to be going to take Murphy out because she threw one balloon and hit him straight in the no-go zone, bringing him down, and then there was Clarke. She wasn’t as good at aiming as Octavia was but she could still duck. Wells seemed to have it out for her but, thankfully, he wasn’t that good of a shot either.

When the girls each pulled out their last water balloon, they decided to break up to try and get some from the guys. Bad idea. The guys still had a couple of water balloons each and they were going to make use of them. Bellamy hit Octavia in the back with one as Clarke was sneaking up behind him, but he seemed to hear her because he turned around and she jumped, throwing her last one and hitting him in the face. She felt bad instantly, but he only shook out his hair and started towards her.

“That’s it.” His face broke out into a mischievous grin and Clarke yelped, turning to run away. She should’ve known that she wouldn’t have been able to run from him because was taller than her, and quicker. She doesn’t get far while his arms wrap around her waist and picking her up.

“Bellamy! Put me down!”

“No can do, babe, you started this and I’m finishing it.” Clarke can hear the smile in his voice.

“Bellamy!” She has just enough time to see what he’s doing before he throws her into the pool, but this time she isn’t able to bring him in with her. She breaks through the surface, gasping for air. “Bellamy Blake!” She swims to the edge where Bellamy is standing, grinning down at her.

“What’s the matter, Princess, can’t take the heat?” He squats down in front of her, the smile never leaving his face.

“I think you’ll find that I can take it just fine.” Clarke smiles sweetly at him before resting her arms on the concrete. She bites her lip and lets her gaze fall to his lips before flicking her eyes back up to his. He smirks then leans forward, going to give her a kiss. _Wrong move._ Clarke smiles then grabs his shirt pushes off the side of the pool, dragging him in with her.

When Bellamy comes up he wipes the water from his face and shakes out his hair. “Hey, that’s cheating!”

“All’s fair in love and war.” She teases and he swims towards her, wrapping one arm around her waist and holding on to the side of the pool with the other. She wraps her legs around his waist and hooks her arms around his neck.

“And which one is this?” He asks, looking at her through half-lidded eyes.

“Hmm…I haven’t decided yet.”

“Let me know when you do,” Is what he says before leaning in to kiss her.

Now, Clarke had kind of hoped that they would’ve been able to get away with having the water balloon fight without waking up the kids but of course that didn’t happen. Not long after they got in the pool, Emori came out of the house saying that it sounded like the kids were up, so they all decided to go ahead and sing happy birthday and cut into the cake before opening presents.

Madi loved that Clarke had gotten her a princess hat to wear and she even tried to sing along to Happy Birthday. Which was adorable. Then her and Clarke blew out the candles and everyone cheered. They had started cutting into the cake when Madi began reaching for the presents. Madi had gotten some coloring books, Bellamy got her an indoor castle playhouse, and Raven got her a little workbench since Madi always liked playing at hers, a few had given her clothes, and Octavia and Lincoln had given her a doodle board. As for Clarke’s presents, she got a lot of art supplies, which was great because she was running low, then Bellamy disappeared into the house and came out with a beautiful guitar, similar to the one Monty had played at their first get together.

“Bellamy, it’s beautiful.”

“I can’t take all the credit.” Bellamy smiled then nodded towards Wells.

“You helped with this?” Clarke asked, surprised.

“Yeah, we talked about how we like hearing you sing and I may have mentioned that you used to play.”

“A long time ago.” Her father had gotten her a guitar and began teaching her how to play, but when he passed away she didn’t try. “I don’t know if I even remember how.” She eyed the beautiful instrument in front of her.

“Here.” Monty got up and kneeled down in front of her, helping her place her fingers on the strings. “There you go, strum.” It sounded nice, like how it was supposed to, then something came back to her.

“I think I have something,” Clarke smiled before repositioning her fingers. “Twinkle, twinkle, little star,” Clarke said as she strummed the notes, “ta-dah!” She laughed and everyone joined in, Madi clapping the loudest.

“I can teach you, if you want,” Monty offered and Clarke smiled.

“I’d love that.” She set the guitar down then wrapped Bellamy in a hug. “Thank you, I love it.” Then she turned to Wells and did the same. “And thank you, too.”

“I expect to hear a lot of songs coming out of this, Griffin.”

“Maybe.” Clarke grinned.

“Crawfish is ready!” Lincoln called from near the pot and Clarke’s mouth started watering. Everyone left the presents on the table then headed towards the designated eating tables. Bellamy fell in step beside Clarke, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Good birthday?”

“The best birthday.” She smiled up at him before stretching up to kiss him. _The best birthday ever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing this story so much
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's June in Arkadia, and Clarke wonders if she should get Bellamy something for Father's Day

As time went on, Clarke began wondering if she should do something for Bellamy for Father’s Day. It’s still a subject they haven’t talked about aside from Mother’s Day when he said that he didn’t mind being mistaken for Madi’s dad. _If only_. Today, Bellamy brought them to the aquarium to meet up with Octavia, Lincoln, and August. Clarke is sure she’ll never get used to seeing Bellamy carrying Madi around on his shoulders acting like the only thing he has to do in life is make her laugh.

Clarke and Octavia are currently pushing empty strollers while the Bellamy and Lincoln raise the kids up so they can see the fish in the glass archway. There’s one week until Father’s Day and the little voice in the back of her mind keeps telling her to ask Octavia about it. If there’s anyone that would be able to give Clarke any insight into Bellamy’s mind, it would be her.

“Hey, Octavia, I have a question,” Clarke turns towards the brunette and they stop pushing their strollers.

“What’s up?”

“Um,” Clarke glances at Bellamy whose preoccupied with pointing at the fish with Madi. “Father’s Day is coming up and, I know we’ve only been with each other for two months but I was wondering—”

“You were wondering that even though you and Bellamy haven’t been together long if you should get him something for father’s day.” Octavia finishes for her and grins.

“Yeah, exactly.”

“Well, I think it’s up to you.” They start walking again. “How I see it, y’all are in a good place and, let’s be honest, Madi _totally_ looks like she could be his kid, and her dad isn’t around. She doesn’t have to call him ‘dad’ or anything for you to get him something to say you appreciate everything he’s been doing.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Clarke looks over at Bellamy and Madi again. There’s really nothing different between the way he acts with her and how Lincoln acts with August. “I am going to get him something.”

“Awesome, I’m sure he’ll love it,” Octavia smiles at her, “but just make sure to leave enough free time so I can still take him out.”

“You take him out to eat on Father’s Day?” Clarke asks, her eyebrows raised.

“Of course, Bell practically raised me. He had to step up and be the ‘man of the house’ when he was just a kid, who I am today is because of him.”

“There’s mama,” Lincoln and August make their way towards Octavia and August reaches out for his mom.

They spend the next hour inside the aquarium and they all decide to stop off in the gift shop afterwards. Madi drags Bellamy straight to the claw machine, convinced that he would be able to get her another stuffed animal, and Clarke smiles before turning and roaming through some of the isles. She stops where they have the snow globes, key chains, and mugs. She hears Madi yell ‘yay’ and she looks over to see Bellamy standing up, holding a dolphin. She turns back to the mugs and sees one that says _BEST DAD EVER_ with two dolphins jumping in the background and smirks. _Perfect_.

In order to keep Bellamy from noticing it, Clarke hands the mug off to Octavia who grins and goes up to the register, acting like she’s the one buying it. Clarke joins Bellamy and Madi by the claw machine just as Bellamy is pulling a whale up from the mess of stuffed animals and drops it into the pick up box. He fishes it out and turns around, holding it up for Clarke.

“Blue stuffed animals for my blue-eyed girls.” He grins.

“You’re so cheesy,” Clarke giggles before taking the stuffed animal and leaning in to give him a kiss. “But you’re adorable.”

“Not as adorable as you.” Bellamy kisses her nose and it makes Clarke giggle some more.

“Ew, I’m traumatized,” Octavia groans then makes a gagging noise. “I’m going to be sick.”

“I had to put up with you doing the same thing, O,” Bellamy points out.

“Whatever, dork,” Octavia motions towards the exit. “On ward, I’m hungry.”

\---

Now it’s Father’s Day and Bellamy had ended up spending the night at Clarke’s house since they both drank a little too much after putting Madi to bed. Clarke opens her eyes and looks at her alarm clock. _It’s not even 8:00AM yet_. She stifles a yawn then turns to look at Bellamy. His black curls are splayed against the pillow and his freckles stand out, even in the low light of the room. As she’s looking at him, she remembers that it’s Father’s Day and a smile makes it’s way onto her face before she slides from under the covers, taking care to not wake him, before slipping out her door and down the hall.

When she reaches the kitchen, she climbs onto the counter and opens the cabinet above the sink. She had repaid Octavia for the mug after they went out to eat that day at the aquarium and when she got back home she hid the mug in the back of a cabinet she hardly ever used. Imagine her panic when Bellamy was searching for a Ziploc bag and opened that very cabinet. She almost had a heart attack.

Clarke grabs the mug from the back corner and rinses it out before setting it on her Keurig. _I can make breakfast_. During the time she and Bellamy have been together, he’s taken to trying to teach her how to cook. Now, she can make pancakes. She gets to work measuring out the batter and adding the water, opting to use a whisk instead of her electric mixer so she doesn’t wake anyone up.

Within thirty minutes, she has enough pancakes to feed a small army, eggs, and bacon all lined up on the counter just in time for the door to her room to open. She smiles and starts her Keurig, letting the coffee fill up the new mug. Bellamy walks into the kitchen barefooted wearing sweatpants and no shirt. His hair is messy and he gives her a sleepy smile.

“’Morning Princess.”

“Good morning, handsome.”

“You think I’m handsome?” His smile widens as he walks up to her, wrapping his hands around her waist.

“The handsomest,” she giggles.

“You’re cute.” He gives her a kiss on the forehead. “Mmm…I smell coffee.” She smiles as she watches him shuffle towards the coffee pot and grabs the mug as it finishes pouring. He doesn’t notice anything about the mug and it only makes her smile wider. _He’s still half asleep._

“I made breakfast.” She starts to pull the plates from the cabinet and he looks at the food on the counter.

“You made all of this?”

“You seem surprised,” she teases, “you are the one who taught me how.”

“Princess, you spoil me,” he grins before walking over to the food. “Is it my birthday?”

“Nope,” Clarke smiles up at him and bats her eyelashes, causing him to narrow his eyes at her, but he’s smirking.

“Then what’s the occasion?”

Clarke shrugs, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bellamy’s phone dings and Clarke unplugs it from the charging station by the counter and hands it to him, but not before noticing that it’s a text from Octavia telling him ‘Happy Father’s Day’. He reads the text and smiles, then Clarke watches as understanding dawns on his face and he looks between her and the food.

“It’s Father’s Day.”

“Yes.”

“And you made me breakfast.”

“Yes I did.”

“For Father’s Day.”

“I did,” Clarke grins and bites down on her bottom lip.

“Why?” His question kind of catches her off guard and she glances at the mug.

“Because, even though we’ve only been together for two months but you’ve treated Madi so well and you’ve done so much for us, and Octavia was the one who pointed out that Madi doesn’t need to call you ‘dad’ in order for me to tell you thank you, so…this is me doing that.”

Bellamy gazes at her for a minute before he gives her a shy smile and brings his hands up to cup her face. “You are wonderful, you know that?”

“I think I could get used to you reminding me,” she purrs and Bellamy chuckles lightly before pressing his lips to hers. It’s so soft and sweet and he rubs his thumbs across her cheekbones, causing her to melt into him. When they break apart, Clarke is pretty sure she’s smiling like an idiot but he’s smiling too. “Octavia told me I can’t hog you all day though, so I need you to acknowledge your present.”

Bellamy’s eyebrows knit in confusion “What present?” Clarke motions towards the coffee cup and he looks at it. “You got me this?” Bellamy grins so big, he looks like a little puppy. “I love it!” He holds the mug up close to his face since he doesn’t have his glasses on. “Thank you, baby.” Bellamy sets it down long enough to give Clarke another kiss.

Madi wakes up and before long they’re all sitting around her little table eating. Bellamy seems to have woken up since he realized that Clarke planned a Father’s Day breakfast for him and got him the cup, and she loves how happy he is.

“Movie?” Madi finishes eating the blueberries that Clarke had placed on her plate and looks between her mom and Bellamy.

“Movie,” Clarke and Bellamy both agree then Madi takes both of their hands and drags them into the living room.

Madi is too young to understand what day it is, but that doesn’t stop her from dragging Bellamy over to the movies with her and having him help her pick one out. All three of them settle in on the couch and watch _Finding Nemo_ together while Madi takes her usual place between the two of them.

After the movie is over, Bellamy insists that they all go outside and play in the sprinklers and, let’s be honest, Clarke is up for anything that involves Bellamy getting sprayed with water. It’s all just so laid back and relaxing, and Clarke is pretty sure her heart can’t handle anymore cuteness coming from her daughter or Bellamy.

Before long, Bellamy has to leave so he can meet up with Octavia for their outing, but he promises to be back tonight. To pass the time, Clarke and Madi decide to go outside and do some arts and crafts. Madi goes straight into finger painting and Clarke pulls out her sketchbook and draws her. _She’s so cute when she’s concentrating_. Clarke smiles as her charcoals spread across the page and she lets herself get caught up in them until Madi gets her attention.

“Look, mama.” Clarke brings her eyes up to the painting that Madi is holding up and it’s a picture of the two of them and Bellamy.

“That looks wonderful, Madi.” Clarke sets her sketchbook down and leans across the table. “I love it. Is that supposed to be me?” Clarke points to the one stick figure with a glob of yellow on it’s head and Madi nods.

“Me,” she points to the smallest figure, “and Bell.” She points to the other figure that has black hair then looks at Clarke, smiling.

“When it dries, do you want to put it on the refrigerator or give it to Bell?”

Madi’s eyebrows knit together as she stares down at the picture. _This is a very important decision in a little girl’s life_. Clarke stifles her laugh. “Give it to Bell.”

“Okay, then.” Clarke takes the painting from Madi and places it on a clear area of the table and weighs down the corners with two glue sticks. “While it dries, why don’t we get some lunch?”

Madi nods and Clarke maneuvers from out of the small picnic table and holds out her hand for Madi to take. Of course, Madi had drawn tons of pictures since being around Bellamy and she’s given him quite a few, some of them are hanging in his office, but she had never drawn one of the three of them before. Clarke doesn’t want to force anything with Madi, she doesn’t want to tell her ‘call Bellamy dad’, she wants it to be something Madi does on her own, and after seeing that picture, she thinks it might.

Halfway through lunch, Raven calls Clarke to see how Bellamy reacted to his BEST DAD EVER mug and Clarke goes through what happened that morning and she talks about the picture that Madi had drawn. When she finishes, Raven let’s out a low whistle from the other end of the line.

“I thought I would have a little more time before I had to pick out a bridesmaids dress, but at least I have my summer body.”

“Ha-ha.” Clarke wedges the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she takes her and Madi’s plates to the sink. “I’m just wondering if, you know, we’re getting close to her calling him,” Clarke glances over at Madi whose wandered over to the glass door and is looking at her painting on the table, “D-A-D.”

“No doubt, I think she just needs a little more time.”

“Yeah, I think she does too.” Clarke smiles as she looks over at Bellamy’s mug. “How’s visiting with Zeke’s parents?”

Clarke and Raven talk for another ten minutes before Raven needs to leave so she can get ready to go out with Zeke and his parents. Bellamy had texted her while she was on the phone saying that he and Octavia were going to go out for ice cream too but he promised to bring her and Madi some back.

She isn’t waiting long when a knock comes from her front door and her and Madi race towards it. Bellamy is standing on the porch holding a big container of ice cream from Coldstone Creamery in one hand while holding a book in his other.

“Delivery,” he grins before stepping into the house.

“Thank you very much,” Clarke takes the ice cream from him so he can pick up Madi. “New book?”

Bellamy holds up a black book with gold decorations all over it. “Yeah, it’s what Octavia gave me, says it has Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology tales in it.” He smiles as he looks at it and Clarke swears he looks like a little kid whose excited to play with his presents.

“Well, maybe you’ll have to read to us tonight.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I love listening to stories.” Clarke smiles and his grin widens.

“I love telling them.”

They spend some time listening to Bellamy read a couple of the stories before Madi remembers her painting outside and runs to get it. She seems shy as she walks up to Bellamy, holding the picture in her hand, but he kneels and gives her a warm smile. She grins before holding the picture up for him.

“Us.”

Clarke watches as Bellamy gazes down at the piece of paper, a soft smile making it’s way onto his face. “Thank you, Madi, I love it.” He holds his arm out and Madi walks into it, giving him a hug.

“You do?” Madi asks, her eyes wide.

“Of course I do.” He tugs lightly on a strand of her hair and she giggles. As he stands, he places a kiss on top of her head then smiles at Clarke. “This is going on my fridge.”

For the rest of the day, they alternate between more story-telling and playing whatever game it is that Madi wanted to play. As it gets closer to dinner, Bellamy goes to get up to cook but Clarke tells him to sit, that today is his day and she’s going to do her best to cook something for him. He smiled and said that he would be there if she needs help.

Even though to Madi, this day is like any other day, Clarke knows it holds meaning for her and Bellamy. She’s still unsure about their future together, but she’d be lying if she said she hasn’t been blissfully happy for months at this point. Clarke looks over at Bellamy and Madi on the couch. Bellamy is acting out one of the stories and Madi is giggling at him. When Clarke calls that the food is ready, Bellamy runs into the kitchen with Madi clinging on his back as he acts like an airplane. _Cuteness overload_. _I’m dying_.

They all sit around and eat dinner together, like they’ve done countless of nights before, and Bellamy talks about what he and Octavia did that day while Clarke talks about what she and Madi did while he was gone. It’s just so domesticated and Clarke loves it. She gets Madi cleaned up and ready for bed while Bellamy does the dishes, then they both put Madi to bed with Bellamy telling her another story as she falls asleep.

When they slip out of Madi’s room, Clarke grabs Bellamy’s hand and directs him towards her room, shutting the door firmly behind them.

“What’re you doing, Clarke?” The lamp beside Clarke’s bed is on and she can see Bellamy smile slyly at her.

“Giving you you’re other present.” She smiles before walking towards him and placing her hands on his chest, pushing him back towards the bed.

“I get two presents?” He grins.

“Uh-huh.” Clarke pushes him back onto the bed and he lays down, grinning at her.

“Care to tell me what it is?”

“Baby, if I tell you then it ruins the surprise,” Clarke teases as she climbs on top of him.

“Oh, then we can’t have that now, can we?” He brings his hands up to rest on her thighs, just below her shorts.

“Mmm…no we can’t.” She smirks before leaning down and kissing him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was short, I know, I'm sorry! I have my reasons for it being short, but it's hard to explain. I'm sorry, I know that's not very clear but I'm having a hard time explaining it lol BUT, I hope the next update makes you smile enough to where you'll forgive me :)
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 4th of July and on top of celebrating that, Clarke and Bellamy have a talk

At some point between Father’s Day and the start of July, Madi asked Clarke a question that she didn’t know how to answer. The two of them had been getting ready for bed, with Clarke brushing out Madi’s hair after getting out of the tub, when Madi brought it up.

“Do I have a dad?”

Clarke’s hand stilled mid-brush. “What do you mean, sweetie?”

“Auggy has a dad, he calls him dada, but I don’t.”

Clarke swallowed. “Everyone has a dad, baby.”

“Where’s mine?” Then Madi turned to look at her, her big blue eyes staring into Clarke’s. Clarke had thought she would have a little more time before she had to explain things to her daughter, but Madi always asked questions. She shouldn’t have been surprised that she would ask this one.

“Your daddy…” Clarke trailed off. She didn’t want to lie to her daughter, very little good ever came from that, but she didn’t want to hurt her. “Your daddy wasn’t ready to be a dad.”

“Why not?”

“He still needed to figure some things out.”

“Oh.” Madi turned back around and Clarke let out a quick breath before returning to brushing her hair. “Will he come back?”

“No, baby, I don’t think he will.” Clarke’s heart was breaking.

“Why not?”

“Because he’s moved on.” Clarke could hear Madi sniffle and her heart shattered even more. Clarke put the brush down and pulled Madi into her lap, cradling her in her arms. “But you’ll always have me, Madi, and you’ll always have aunt Raven.”

“And Bell?”

 _Would she always have him? It’s only been a couple of months…_ “Yeah, maybe so. But you’ll always have uncle Wells, and grandma and grandpa.”

Madi looked at her for a beat before nodding. “Okay.” She crawled out of Clarke’s lap and sat in front of her again, waiting for the rest of her hair to be brushed.

Clarke had to fight back the tears that were threatening to escape after that conversation. She managed to hold them off as she read Madi a bedtime story, but when she reached the kitchen after Madi had gone to sleep, she couldn’t hold them back anymore. _I thought I had more time_. She covered her mouth as she sobbed then pulled a pint of ice cream out of the freezer. She always knew she would have to tell Madi _one day_ but she didn’t expect her three-year-old to blindside her with it tonight. Maybe when she was eight.

Clarke was just making a dent in the ice cream when the front door opened and Raven tip toed in from the hallway with Zeke behind her. Clarke tried to give them a small smile but of course Raven saw right through it. Zeke gave her a slight smile before slipping off to Raven’s room, letting the two girls have some time together. Raven crossed the room and placed her hands on Clarke’s shoulders.

“Clarke, talk to me, what’s wrong?”

Clarke looked at her friend then down at the ice cream, a tear slipping down her cheek. “She asked me.”

“Asked you what?” Raven’s eyebrows knit together.

“Madi asked me where her dad—where Finn is.” Clarke sobbed and Raven pulled her in for a hug.

“Clarke, it’s okay,” Raven murmured, rubbing her back. “We’ve known this was going to happen.”

“But I didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“Shhh,” Raven tightened her arms around Clarke. “Did she say anything else?”

“I told her that she would always have me, and you, then she asked me if Bellamy would always be there, and…” Clarke started shaking her head, “how do I answer that? I know I got him a mug for Father’s Day but that was to say thank you and I know he said he didn’t mind someone mistaking him for her dad but—”

“Clarke, breathe.” Raven shook Clarke’s shoulders a little and Clarke took a deep breath. “You and Bellamy have only been together for nearly three months and he’s already stepped up more than any other person has, even Lexa. But this is new to him, too.”

“I know, I just…” Clarke sighed, “I just don’t want to push things.”

“Things will be fine, Clarke.” Clarke looked up at her friend. “You’ve been a kickass mom all by yourself for the past three years, and that’s not going to change.”

Clarke sniffled. “That’s only because you’ve been here with me.”

“And that’s not going to change.” Raven smiled and Clarke let herself laugh a little before pulling Raven back in for another hug.

The two of them stood in the kitchen and finished off the pint of ice cream before Raven went and joined Zeke in her room and Clarke went to her own. She stayed awake that night, trying to come up with more questions Madi could possibly ask and answers to them that wouldn’t sound terrible. She even wondered if she should tell Bellamy what happened or if it would just put an unnecessary weight on him. In the end, she fell asleep and was thankful that her dreams weren’t occupied with the stresses in her life.

\---

In the end, Clarke decided not to tell Bellamy about the conversation she had with Madi, but a little voice in the back of her head told her she should. Since it’s the fourth of July, Clarke offered to stop off at the store since Maya had texted her earlier as she was leaving her house that they completely forgot to get hot dog buns. Which is why now, she’s pushing a shopping cart up the bread isle with Madi sitting in the little seat, trying to decide which brand to get when something suddenly caught Madi’s attention. Raven had come too, but she went off to the automotive section to look at something for Zeke.

“Daddy!” Madi’s voice startles Clarke enough to where she drops both bags of buns and hurries to pick them up, her hands shaking. _Daddy_. Clarke stands and turns around, but instead of seeing Finn she’s met with a shocked Bellamy.

“Oh my god.” Clarke can feel her face heat up as she looks between him and her daughter. “Madi, what did you say?”

“Daddy.” She smiles up at Clarke then looks over at Bellamy.

“ _Madi_ —”

“It’s, um, it’s fine,” Bellamy clears his throat then steps closer towards them. Clarke’s heart is pounding in her chest and she can’t force her hands to quit shaking. Bellamy looks down and Clarke must be practically convulsing without noticing it because Bellamy takes the buns out of her hands and places them on the shelf before closing his hands around hers. “The guys needed a drink run so I volunteered.”

“Oh.” Clarke nods her head then glances at Madi before turning back to him, “will you excuse us for a second?”

“Yeah, sure.” Bellamy turns and walks back down the isle and Clarke sags against the buggy.

“Madi, why did you call Bell daddy?”

“Because I want him to be.”

“Honey, that’s not—” Clarke sighs. _How do I do this?_ “Madi, you can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s not…” Clarke can feel tears prick her eyes.

“Why are you sad, mama?”

“I’m not sad, baby.” Clarke quickly tries to wipe the stray tears away. “You just, someone has to choose for themselves if they want to be your dad.”

“He can,” Madi says simply.

“Madi, I don’t know if—”

“I do.” Bellamy’s voice carries down the isle and Clarke looks up to see him turn the corner. His hand are in his pockets and he’s looking directly into Clarke’s eyes. Her breath catches and now she’s full on shivering. “You’re right, someone has to choose something like this, and I do.”

“So you’ll be my dad?” Madi smiles up at him, her big, blue eyes wide.

“Of course, Madi, I’d love to be.” Clarke watches as Madi reaches up and Bellamy pulls her out of the seat. She wraps her arms around him and giggles.

Clarke on the other hand is pretty sure she’s having a panic attack. _It’s so soon._ Doubts begin to flood through her mind and she’s finding it hard to breathe. _It’s too soon._ Bellamy looks over at her and his brows knit in confusion before he closes the distance between them, bringing his free hand up to cup her face.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, um,” Clarke’s jaw shakes and she can’t force herself to hold his eyes, “I just—I don’t—”

“Breathe,” Bellamy rubs his thumb over her cheekbone and she takes a deep breath. “We can talk when we get to Harper and Monty’s, okay?” Clarke nods her head.

Raven had shown back up just as Clarke and Bellamy were heading towards the checkout line and after taking one look at the two of them, she offered to drive Clarke’s car to Monty and Harper’s so Clarke could ride with Bellamy. Madi just chatted away happily the entire time.

They’re both silent as Bellamy pulls out of his parking spot and onto the road, but when he stops at a red light, he turns to look at her.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Clarke clears her throat and knots her hands in her lap.

“No, you’re not.” Bellamy turns back in his seat as the light turns green. “Talk to me, Clarke, please.”

“I don’t know, I just—” She takes a deep breath. “A few days ago, Madi asked me why she didn’t have a dad, and I told her that he wasn’t ready. Then she asked if he was coming back and I had to tell her no.” Clarke can feel herself starting to tear up again. “I told her—” Clarke sniffles, “I told her that she would always have me, and Raven, and she asked if she would have you and I—”

“You didn’t want to give her false hope.”

“Yeah.” Clarke sniffles and reaches up to wipe away the tears on her face. “I’m not naïve, I know that this isn’t some fairytale where we know each other for like two weeks then live happily ever after.” Clarke looks down at her knotted fingers. “I thought I would’ve had more time before she asked me something like that. I figured I would have a better chance at explaining things when she was older, but now…” Clarke trails off.

“You’re worried that I’m going to leave and then she’s going to be heartbroken.”

“I would be too,” Clarke mumbles. Suddenly, Bellamy takes a quick right turn and pulls into an empty gas station. Clarke watches as he parks his truck then turns in his seat to look at her. “Bellamy?”

“I’ve thought about this a lot.” He rubs the back of his neck, something Clarke has come to notice as the thing he does when he’s nervous or shy. “I knew what I was getting into when I asked you out the day we met, Clarke. All I intended to do was give you and your daughter a ride home from the airport that day, I wasn’t expecting anything to come out of it, but then Raven asked me to stay and, I found that I liked being around you.

“You’re beautiful and you’re smart, and you’re funny, and I adored Madi instantly. I knew that by asking you out the next day it would probably lead to something that I couldn’t turn back from, and I was okay with that. Call it temporary insanity on my part, meeting this wonderful woman and her equally wonderful kid and deciding ‘I could do this’ after only knowing you for twenty-four hours, but I knew that this day would probably come at some point.”

“Albeit I thought we would’ve had a little more time, too, but even if things don’t work out between us then I’d still like to be there for Madi. I know what it’s like to have to grow up with a dad, Clarke, and I know you’ve experienced what that’s like, and I—god, Madi isn’t my kid but I already love her like she is. I know this is scary for you, it’s scaring me too, Clarke, but I knew what I was getting into when I first met you, and I know you must’ve thought about it, too.”

Clarke looks at him, reeling from everything he’s said. _He figured this would happen and he did it anyway._ “When I first got pregnant and Finn left, I was told over and over again that I’d probably never meet anyone as a single mom. Those people were hateful, but that little voice still stuck in the back of mind and always came up when I tried entertaining the idea of being with someone. The night you gave me your number I told Raven that I wouldn’t text you because there was a pretty good chance that you wouldn’t stick around.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, but, don’t get me wrong, I liked you. I _wanted_ to see where it would go but I couldn’t get over the doubt that kept creeping into my mind.”

“What made you decide to text me?”

“Raven.” The corners of Clarke’s mouth turn upwards as she remembers that night. “I told her I wasn’t looking for anything and she pointed out that I wasn’t looking, you just happened to show up, and she told me you were a good man and that she believed we would make a good couple.”

“Raven Reyes said that we would make a good couple?” Bellamy quirks an eyebrow and Clarke looks up to see him smirking. She nods her head. “Well in that case who are we to tell her she’s wrong?”

Despite herself, Clarke laughs. “Yeah, she’s pretty much always right.”

“Pretty much?”

“Except when I’m right.” Clarke smirks and Bellamy grins at her. She watches as he takes her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across the back of it.

“I know this is crazy, and we’re just figuring things out as they go, but I don’t want to lose you, Clarke.” He brings her hand up to his mouth and kisses her knuckles. “We’ll figure it out, together.”

“Together.” Clarke smiles before leaning over the console and giving him a kiss.

“We are crazy, aren’t we? Like we’re supposed to be the adults.” Bellamy laughs and Clarke smiles.

“Oh, we’re definitely crazy,” Clarke leans in and rests her head on Bellamy’s shoulder. “But at least our lives aren’t boring.” Clarke can feel Bellamy chuckle and she turns to look at him. His eyes drift to her lips and she smiles, closing the distance between them.

“We should probably get to the party,” he murmurs when they break apart. Clarke nods her head then gives him one last kiss before righting herself in her seat, smiling as he backs the truck up.

When they get to Monty and Harper’s house, everyone is already in the backyard and they all cheer when the two of them are noticed.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say the two of you snuck off for some alone time.” Raven wiggles her eyebrows and Clarke blushes.

“I wish.” She peeks up at Bellamy who’s smirking down at her, surprised.

“Well, if I had known that that’s what you wanted then I wouldn’t have suggested we come back.”

“Oh, come one, Bellamy, you can get it in some other time.” Murphy hands a beer to the two of them.

“Fuck off, Murphy,” Bellamy groans and Clarke does a quick check to make sure none of the kids heard him, but she can’t find them.

“Wow, I try to be nice and this is how I’m repaid,” Murphy looks at Clarke, placing a hand over his heart, “do you see how he treats me?”

“Come on, John, leave them alone.” Emori pops up behind her boyfriend and steers him pack towards the barbeque pit. “Glad you two finally decided to show up.” Emori smiles before turning her attention back to her boyfriend as they head to where Monty and Jasper are trying to balance cups on their heads.

“Where’s Madi?” Clarke turns to Raven who nods towards the house.

“She was tired so Harper let me put her to sleep in the spare room.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“What are aunts for?” Raven smirks before throwing her arm around Clarke’s shoulders and guiding her towards the ice chest. “Now, _sisters_ are for drinking with.”

“ _Raven._ ” Clarke smiles and shakes her head, but Raven only grins.

“You too, mythology geek.”

Clarke drinks her beer then Bellamy hands her his. He, Lincoln, and Zeke all agreed to be designated drivers, so even though one beer wouldn’t have been a _big_ deal, none of them wanted to chance it. _Despite Murphy’s attempts_. This get together goes like all of their other get togethers, with the girls spending time in the pool and the guys joining them when they’re not watching the barbeque pit.

“Someone’s awake!” Maya’s voice carries from the house and Clarke and Bellamy look over to see her walking out of the backdoor with Madi holding her hand. Clare was latched onto Bellamy’s back in the pool while he swam around the pool lazily. Bellamy walks over to the side of the pool and leans against it.

“Hey, sleepy head.”

“Hey, honey.”

“Mama! Daddy!” Madi smiles then waddles over to the pool, oblivious to the looks that her mom and her new dad are getting.

“Clarke.” Raven’s voice comes from beside her and Clarke turns to look at her friend. “Did she…?”

“Yep.” Clarke nods as Madi reaches the pool. “That’s what we needed to talk about.”

“Up!” She holds her hands up, waiting for Bellamy to pick her up.

“Hold on, little one, you need to get your swimsuit on.” Clarke gives Raven a ‘ _I’ll tell you later’_ look before climbing out of the pool. “Come on, Madi.” Clarke wraps a towel around her then picks Madi up, who laughs.

After Clarke gets Madi pool ready, they walk into the kitchen where Octavia and Bellamy are talking, rapid fire, to each other. The two of them don’t notice Madi or Clarke and Clarke wonders if she can get through without bothering them because it seems like it’s a pretty serious conversation. Clarke should’ve known that trying to be sneaky wouldn’t have worked because it’s like Bellamy sensed that they were there and he turned around, smiling.

“There’s my girls.”

“Daddy!” Madi grins then leans towards Bellamy, wanting him to hold her.

“Hey, baby girl.” Bellamy kisses the top of Madi’s head. “Hello, Princess.”

“Hey,” Clarke smiles and Bellamy kisses her on the cheek. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt.” Clarke looks over at Octavia, expecting the girl to be slightly annoyed but she smiles.

“No need to apologize, it was nothing.” Octavia walks over and links her arm with Clarke’s. “But come on, I’m ready for ice cream.”

“Ice cream!” Madi exclaims and nods her head.

They spend a few more hours at Monty and Harper’s until they all load up and head to the levee for the fireworks show. No one brings up the new ‘dad’ title that’s been placed on Bellamy and Clarke doesn’t know if she should feel relieved or worried. _Both. Definitely feel both_.

Madi seems to love saying the word, because she uses it every chance she gets. _“Daddy, up!”, “Daddy, look!”, “Daddy, here!”._ It’s so adorable Clarke wants to cry. When she had originally got pregnant, she had a different idea of who Madi would be calling daddy and how her life was going to go, but looking back at everything now, Clarke is glad it didn’t work out the way she thought.

She and Bellamy are sitting on a blanket on top of the levee while they watch Madi chase lightening bugs a few feet away from them. Bellamy had even packed them a little picnic basket to nibble on for when they get hungry. Clarke bites down on a strawberry before deciding to lay her head in Bellamy’s lap. His hand immediately goes into her blonde hair, combing his fingers through it. All around them, they can hear other kids laughing and adults chatting, and the sound of a band at the stage in the park behind them.

Clarke feels a calmness she doesn’t think she’s ever experienced before. The sound of her daughter’s laughter in her ears, Bellamy’s fingers in her hair, her friends settled around her and they’re about to watch fireworks together. She’s happy. She feels like there’s something she’s been missing for the past few years and a little voice in the back of her mind tells her that she’s found it, but she tells it to leave her alone. If she starts thinking about what that could mean then her calmness will be over.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Bellamy murmurs, taking his eyes off Madi to look down at Clarke.

“I was just thinking about how calm I feel.”

“Calm how?”

“I don’t know, I just,” Clarke shrugs, “I feel like for the first time in my life I’m not worrying about anything or stressing over something. It’s weird.”

“But a good weird?” Bellamy’s eyes search hers, serious. She smiles.

“The best weird.” She brings her hand up and wraps it around the back of Bellamy’s neck and meets him halfway for a kiss.

“Good.” Bellamy smirks just as the announcer for the fireworks comes on.

“Everybody, take your seats, and let the show begin!”

“Mama! Daddy!” Madi runs towards them, a couple of lightening bugs in her hair.

“Hey, sweetie.” Clarke holds her arms open and Madi barrels into her and Bellamy. “Did you make some friends?” Clarke motions to the bugs in Madi’s hair and Madi nods.

“I knew there was a reason I called you _natblida_.” Clarke smiles and starts tickling Madi, making her giggle.

“What does it mean?” Bellamy asks. “I’ve heard you call her that before.”

“Nightblood,” Clarke smiles. “It’s Trig, from their old stories, but when Madi was a baby she could never sleep through the night, no matter what I would always hear her through the baby monitor.” Clarke blushes. “It’s kind of silly, but, I don’t know, it kind of stuck with me.”

“I like it.” Bellamy reaches beside him and plucks two little yellow flowers from the ground then puts them into Clarke and Madi’s hair.

“Look!” Jasper yells off from the side of their blanket and Clarke, Bellamy, and Madi all turn their attention towards the sky. The firework bursts into a shower of sparks and crackles, falling back down to the water.

“Wow.” Madi grins up at the sky and Clarke leans her head on Bellamy’s shoulder.

The three of them watch as color after color, spark after spark, light up the night sky around them. At one point, Bellamy pulls Clarke into his lap and Clarke pulls Madi into hers, all of them watching together. Clarke doesn’t think about the people around her, or how only a few hours ago she had been freaking out about Madi calling Bellamy dad. Nope. She leans against Bellamy’s chest with his arms wrapped around her and her daughter, listening to his heartbeat while, from time to time, he kisses the top of her head. _God, this is what it’s supposed to be like._ Clarke smiles up at the night sky, wishing for the night to never end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I giggled when writing the end, I thought it was cute lol I hope it gave you the same feeling and that this made up for the slightly shorter previous chapter!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke, Bellamy, and Madi take a trip :)

A few weeks after Clarke and Bellamy’s talk, Clarke wakes up one morning with an idea. She looks over to see if Bellamy is still in bed with her, but since it’s nearly 9:00AM, she knows he isn’t. She pulls on some sweatpants then pads her way into the kitchen. Bellamy is in the process of making pancakes and he has Madi sitting on the counter, which, if it were anyone else she would be terrified, but Bellamy always keeps one arm braced in front of her. It’s only when Clarke gets closer that she realizes he’s singing.

“ _I want to know, have you ever seen the rain? I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, comin’ down on a sunny day…”_ He’s doing a little dance to it too while Madi smiles and Clarke can’t help but stare.

“Creedence Clearwater Revival, I approve.” She waits until he’s done then smiles and walks towards him and her daughter. “I enjoyed the show.” Clarke wraps her hands around his waist.

“I’m glad to hear that, Princess.” He leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead.

“You having fun, darling?” Clarke smiles at Madi and notices the amount of flower that’s all over her daughter. Madi grins and nods. “From the amount of flour, I would guess so.” Clarke laughs and turns to Bellamy. “Are you having fun?”

Bellamy grins too. “Definitely.”

“Well, I have an idea that I think both of you would enjoy.” It’s Clarke’s turn to grin and she looks between Bellamy and her daughter.

“What is it, mama?” Madi’s eyes go wide, leaning forward slightly, but Bellamy’s arm is still in front of her so she won’t fall.

“Yeah, mama, what is it?” Bellamy looks just as curious as Madi. Bellamy had started calling her mama around the time she started calling him daddy. There wasn’t anything remotely sexual in the way that either of them said that, most parents _did_ say stuff like that, but every time he says it, Clarke can’t help but feel something stir in her. She ignores it.

She turns to Madi. “Why don’t we go visit grandma and grandpa for a few days?” Then she turns to Bellamy. “We’ve already talked about you visiting D.C. with us, and I think it would be fun for us to go to the museums together.” Clarke bites her bottom lip, waiting for Bellamy to respond. He looks down at her then a grin breaks across his face.

“That sounds great!” He plucks Madi off the counter and wraps his free hand around Clarke, giving her a kiss. “When do we leave?”

“I was thinking today.”

“Today?”

“Yep, my mom and Kane let me use their flyer miles so all I’d really have to do is call them and they’d have tickets ready within a few hours.”

“I can buy my own ticket, Clarke.”

“But this doesn’t cost my mom or Kane anything,” Clarke looks at him. She knows Bellamy has an issue with people buying him things, but her parents wouldn’t really being spending any of their money.

Bellamy looks at her for a beat then slowly nods his head. “Okay, baby.” He leans down and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “In that case, we should get cleaned up.”

“Yes, you should.” Clarke chuckles then holds her hands out for Madi. “Come here my little flour child.” Bellamy chuckles and Madi giggles. “We have a lot to do before we can leave.”

Clarke almost gets all of the flour off Madi before putting her in the tub. _This isn’t going to be pretty_. It takes Clarke nearly an hour to get all of the flour out of Madi’s hair and by the end of it, Clarke desperately needs a bath too. Once Madi is out and dry, Clarke gets her dressed for the day then decides to call her mom.

“Hey, honey! I’m glad you called, I need to talk to you.”

“Oh, yeah? About what?”

“Well, Kane and I were talking and we’d like for you and Madi to come visit, and Bellamy of course.”

“Really?”

“Yes, of course! We’d both like to spend some more time with all of you and get to know Bellamy better. Would that be okay?”

“It’s actually funny that you brought that up because—” Clarke looks up and Bellamy slips into the bathroom with her. “Because I was actually going to talk to you about us coming for a visit too.”

“Oh, well then it’s settled! I’ll book a flight for this evening for the three of you.”

“Thank you, mom.”

“You’re welcome, sweetie. Love you and see you soon.”

“Love you too, mom. See ya.”

Clarke hangs up the phone and smiles at Bellamy. “Well, like mother like daughter.”

“What’d she say?” Bellamy strips off his t-shirt that’s now practically white and throws it on the floor.

“She and Kane had already talked and they were going to invite us to come stay anyway.”

“Really?” Bellamy’s eyebrows shoot up to his hairline and Clarke smiles.

“Yeah, she said that they want to get to know you better.” She wraps her hands around Bellamy’s neck. “How do you feel about that?”

“Honestly, I’m a little nervous,” Bellamy chuckles a little, “but, I think they like me.”

“Yeah, they do.” Clarke smirks before standing on her tip toes and giving Bellamy a kiss. “Where’s our daughter?”

“Raven woke up and is watching her now.” Bellamy grins down at her. “I think we both need to get clean.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” Clarke teases and she presses herself against Bellamy more.

“I do.”

“Well, can’t argue with that, can I?”

Bellamy smirks. “No, I don’t think you can.” Bellamy cups her face then presses his lips to hers.

Her mom sent her the flight information an hour later and they had about five hours until the flight was scheduled to leave. Clarke and Madi spent that time packing their bags and Bellamy went back to his house to pack his bags and tell Miller that he was going on a trip. Clarke would be lying if she said that she wasn’t excited. She knows Bellamy has always wanted to see the Smithsonian and now she would be the one going with him.

Clarke and Madi say bye to Raven and Raven makes Clarke promise to keep her updated with how things go. Bellamy and Miller show up and then they’re all off to the airport. Clarke is thrumming with excitement and every time Bellamy looks at her, she can tell he’s excited too. Miller drops them off and the three of them make their way into the back to wait for their plane. Surprisingly, Madi is occupied with her coloring books but Clarke thinks that her love for art is probably hereditary.

“Is it weird that I’m nervous?” Bellamy leans over to whisper in her ear and Clarke smiles.

“I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

“Really?” Bellamy smirks.

“Well, yeah. This just goes to show that you actually care.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Bellamy takes a deep breath then wraps his arm around Clarke’s shoulders. “Do you think they’ll be freaked out that she’s already calling me dad?” Bellamy whispers and his eyes drift over to where Madi is drawing.

“Um…” If Clarke is being honest, she’s thought about how they might react but ultimately she thinks her mom and Kane might just find it nice. “They both like you and they’ve both said that you’re really good with her, so I’m sure they’ll just think it was going to happen at some point.” Clarke shrugs and Madi turns her attention towards her parents and holds up a picture she just colored in of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.

“That looks great, Madi! Who is that?”

“You and daddy.” Madi smiles the turns the page and goes back to drawing.

“I think she’s taken the princess thing seriously.” Clarke chuckles and rests her head on Bellamy’s shoulder.

“It is a serious thing.” Bellamy deadpans and it makes Clarke laugh even more.

After a while, they settle into their seats on the plane and Madi passes out almost immediately. _She’ll never go to sleep tonight_. The flight isn’t long, but it gives Clarke and Bellamy some time to talk about what he all he wants to do when he gets there and if there’s anything he should expect once they get there.

“Well, my mom has a maid come in once a week to clean and her days used to be Wednesdays, but I don’t know if that’s changed. Our house has been in our family for a few generations so it isn’t as modern as some people’s in our neighborhoods, but it’s still pretty big. Jaha comes over any chance he gets, you know by now that he and Kane used to be in politics together until Kane decided to ‘retire’ and started working for the high school that Wells’ and I had graduated from. Um…I think that’s it, really. But you’ve already met Jaha so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Alright,” Bellamy nods and squeezes Clarke’s hand reassuringly. “I got this.”

Clarke smiles. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“Am I? That’s a relief.” Bellamy lets out a breathy laugh and Clarke leans over to give him a kiss.

“Mama, I got to pee.” Madi’s sleepy voice comes from beside her and Clarke turns to her daughter.

“Okay, baby, come on. Let’s go use the bathroom.”

The plane lands soon after and the three of them gather their luggage and head to the pick up zone. Madi starts rubbing her eyes while they’re waiting for Abby and Kane to show up so Bellamy picks her up and starts rocking with her, but Clarke thinks he doesn’t even realize he’s rocking her. Madi wraps one arm around Bellamy’s neck and lays her head on his shoulder. Clarke watches as the corners of Bellamy’s mouth turn upwards and he rests his head on top of hers.

“You have a beautiful family.” An older lady whose being escorted by someone who looks like her daughter places her hand on Clarke’s arm.

Clarke smiles. “Thank you.”

“Thank you.” A slight blush creeps onto Bellamy’s cheeks and it makes Clarke’s heart stutter. _God, you’re adorable_. The older lady smiles then continues to a car that’s waiting for her and her daughter.

“Clarke! Bellamy!” Abby opens the door to the vehicle before Kane even has a chance to put it in park then she barrels into her daughter.

“Mom, you keep acting like you haven’t seen me in years,” Clarke laughs.

“Maybe I’m just getting crazy in my old age,” Abby teases then turns to Bellamy. “I’m glad you came!” She gives him a hug too and rubs Madi’s back. “Hey, Madi.”

“Grandma.” Madi gives Abby a sleepy smile then reaches over for her.

“Well, let’s get the three of you home.”

On the car ride back, Madi tries to keep her eyes open in her car seat while Abby chatters away in the passenger seat. She talks about how she’s planning on cooking a dinner the next night, she’s talked to Jaha about coming for a visit with Wells, and she talks about how she’s taken tomorrow off work as well. Clarke feels like she’s been catapulted back to high school. Her mother making plans and Clarke just nodding in the back seat going along with them.

Once they get to the house, Marcus and Abby tell Clarke and Bellamy to go ahead and put Madi to bed while they get the luggage. Clarke can feel herself beginning to get tired as well, but she usually spends some time with her mom the first night she’s back so that’s something she can’t skip out on. After Madi is asleep, they slip out of her room and make their way down to the kitchen. Abby is already pulling out left over spaghetti and heating it up in bowls when the both sit down at the island.

“I don’t know if the two of you have already eaten dinner, but I know _you_ get hungry after flying.” Abby gives Clarke a knowing look and Clarke’s stomach growls. “See?” Abby smiles and Clarke takes the bowl from her.

“Thank you, Abby.” Bellamy takes the hot food and gives her an appreciative smile.

“Of course.” Abby picks up her glass of wine. “I’m glad both of you are here, we’ve been wanting to spend more time together.”

“Us too, mom.”

“Yeah, thanks for inviting me.”

“Well you’re family now, Bellamy.” Kane smiles and Clarke glances over to see Bellamy blush again. His skin as gotten darker since summer started and his freckles are more pronounced. If Clarke had a say, she’d want him like this all the time. She loves those freckles.

The four of them hangout in the kitchen while Clarke and Bellamy finish eating but since it’s getting late, and it’s kind of past Clarke and Bellamy’s bedtime, Abby and Kane tell them goodnight and Clarke directs Bellamy to her bedroom. It’s kind of weird considering it still looks the same as it did before she graduated high school, but thankfully Bellamy doesn’t laugh.

“I like your room.” He smirks as he looks around. She still has some textbooks she never returned sitting on her desk, her bookcase is filled with the books she had to buy for her English classes, and, of course, nearly every inch of one of her walls is covered in artwork while the wall above her bed is covered in photographs.

“Thanks.” Now it’s her turn to blush. She’s never brought anyone back here to see her room since she left. Not Finn, not Lexa, only Bellamy. “I haven’t changed anything since high school. If you can’t tell.”

“Oh, I think I got that.” He teases before leaning over her desk to get a better look at her drawings.

“Are you making fun of my room?” Clarke settles on her bed and quirks an eyebrow at him. “If you don’t like my room or Mr. Snuffles then I’m afraid we can’t have you here.”

“Mr. Snuffles?” The corner of Bellamy’s mouth turns up and he looks between her and the stuffed animal she’s placed in her lap.

“Yes, Mr. Snuffles.” Clarke looks down at the old teddy bear and smiles. “I named him when I was six, so no judging the name.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Bellamy grins before crawling onto the bed next to her. “Hi, Mr. Snuffles.” Bellamy reaches out to shake the teddy bear’s hand and it sends Clarke into a fit of giggles. A loud _boom_ comes from outside it makes Clarke jump.

“That sounds like it’s going to be bad.” Clarke mumbles then gets up, making her way to the windows. The moon, which had been shining bright, is completely covered by storm clouds and the sky looks darker than usual. She likes the rain, she always has, but there’s something about really bad thunderstorms that always seems to unnerve her. Lightening streaks across the sky and Clarke lets go of the curtains before slipping under the blankets on her bed.

“You don’t like storms?” Bellamy settles under the covers with her and wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her close.

“I like rain, but it’s just really bad thunderstorms that I have a problem with.” Clarke reaches up and runs her fingers along his jawline, feeling the slight stubble.

“I can’t imagine how you’ll do during a hurricane.”

“I’ll be fine if I have you with me.” Clarke smiles then snuggles into him a little more. He chuckles before tightening his arm around her.

“You’ll always have me, Princess.” He kisses the top of her head and Clarke finds that she can’t hear anything aside from his breathing and steady heartbeat.

Clarke drifts off to sleep at some point but a loud _crack_ comes from outside and she wakes up. She must’ve been in a really deep sleep because she can’t tell what’s going on until the door to her bedroom opens and she hears Madi’s little feet slapping against the hardwood.

“Mama? Daddy?” Madi walks over to Clarke’s side of the bed, clutching the blanket that Abby had gotten her when she was a baby. “Mama, I scared.”

“Oh, come here baby.” Clarke reaches over and pulls Madi onto the bed with her. “Mama’s scared, too.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.” Clarke positions Madi between her and Bellamy who wakes up and gives them a sleepy smile.

“Are both of my girls scared of the weather?” The two of them nod their heads and Bellamy wraps an arm around both of them. “Don’t worry, daddy’s got you.” He kisses the top of Madi’s head and Clarke leans over so he can give her a kiss too. He’s still practically asleep, but with his arm around the two of them, Madi falls back asleep almost immediately while Clarke stays awake for a little while longer to just look at them. _God, how did I get so lucky?_ She falls back to sleep with one arm around her daughter and Bellamy’s arm around her, forgetting about the storm that’s raging outside.

When Clarke wakes up in the morning, the sun is streaming in from the cracks in her curtains and Clarke blinks her eyes a few times before opening them completely. Madi is still nestled between her and Bellamy and Bellamy is sound asleep next to her. Clarke smiles. She turns over and digs under her bed, pulling out her sketchbook she used to draw her dreams in. It’s cheesy, she knows, but she used to have some very vivid dreams and sometimes she would make stories up to go with them. She plucks a pencil off her nightstand then slips out of bed, folding herself into the chair at her desk. With what light is coming in from the window, she can make out a few details of Madi and Bellamy. _God, how did I get so lucky?_

She doesn’t stop smiling as she draws the scene before her. The blankets engulfing Madi, Bellamy’s mouth slightly open, both of their dark hair a messy crown around their heads. _This is exactly what I want to remember_. Just as Clarke puts the last couple of details into the freckles on Bellamy’s face, a soft knock comes from the door. Abby opens it and pops her head in, causing Clarke to put a finger over her lips and point towards the bed. Her mom looks over and presses a hand to her heart. _Same, mom. Same._ Abby points downstairs and Clarke nods.

As the door clicks shut, Bellamy stirs. He rubs a hand over his face and blinks his eyes a couple of times. Clarke watches as he looks over and pouts when he doesn’t see her, but he finds her when she tries to stifle her laugh. He gives her a sleepy smile and rubs his eyes.

“Should I be worried that you’re watching me sleep, Princess?” He teases, whispering so he doesn’t wake Madi.

“Mmm…” Clarke smiles then huddles under the covers on her side of the bed again. “We both know you’ve watched me sleep before.”

“Have not.” Bellamy feigns outrage but Clarke can see a blush creep onto his cheeks.

“Whatever you say, babe.” Clarke leans over Madi and gives Bellamy a quick kiss. “Breakfast is ready.”

“I like breakfast.” Bellamy yawns and stretches.

“Hey, my little natblida.” Clarke wraps Madi in her arms and kisses her head. “It’s time to wake up.”

“Uh-uh.” Madi huddles under the covers more.

“Come on, Madi, grandma made breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” She opens her big blue eyes and looks up at Clarke and Bellamy.

“Yep, breakfast.” Clarke smiles.

“And we like breakfast, don’t we darlin’?” Bellamy smiles at Madi too.

“Yeah, breakfast.” Madi nods her head and Clarke laughs.

For breakfast, Abby had made pancakes, eggs, bacon, muffins, she went all out for their first breakfast there. They all talked about the storm the night before and Kane brought up the fact that he was going to have to clean up the backyard, so of course Bellamy offered to help. _Finn would never._ Abby asks them what they have planned for while they’re there, and Clarke tells her that there’s nothing that’s set, really, but they’re definitely going to all of the museums.

“Daddy, carry me.” Madi reaches up towards Bellamy and he smiles before bending down and picking her up.

“Carry you where, sweetheart?”

“I don’t know.” Madi lays her head onto Bellamy’s shoulder and closes her eyes.

“I think someone had a little too much to eat.” Clarke rubs Madi’s back and Madi nods her head. “Do you want to lay in the living room and watch a movie?” Madi nods her head again and Bellamy kisses it.

“I got her, stay and relax.” He leans over and kisses Clarke on the forehead before disappearing down the hall.

“So, that’s new.” Abby is busy gathering the dishes but she glances at Clarke and smirks.

“Yeah, she started calling him that on the fourth of July.” Clarke starts picking up the dishes too, trying not to look at her mom.

“That was a little fast.” Abby turns to the sink. “What did Bellamy do?”

“What do you mean?”

“How did he react?”

“Really well, actually. Madi kind of, claimed him as her dad, and when I told her that he would have to choose to be her dad, he said that he did.” Clarke shrugs. Clarke places the plates she had gathered into the sink and her mom turns to look at her.

“And how did you feel?”

Clarke stops for a beat. If she’s being honest, she’s still a little scared about the whole thing, but she knows that that’s probably just nerves. The talk that they had had together really helped.

“I was terrified,” she admits, “but we talked about it and we both knew that this would happen at some point.” Clarke takes a deep breath then smiles. “I never thought I’d find someone as good as him.” She looks towards the doorway he and Madi had walked out of.

“Oh, Clarke,” Abby reaches up and pushes some of Clarke’s hair back. “I always knew you were going to find someone that was worth your love, but I couldn’t have imagined someone as great as Bellamy.” Abby smiles and Clarke grins.

“Me either.” Clarke reaches out and gives her mom a hug, startling Abby slightly. “Thanks, mom.”

They pull apart right when Bellamy walks back into the room. “I put her down and she’s watching _Lilo & Stitch_ now, but I think Kane wants to get to work on the yard soon.”

Abby smiles then slips out of the kitchen while Clarke skips over to Bellamy and wraps her arms around his neck. “Does this mean I get to watch you work?”

Bellamy smirks down at her. “Careful, baby, someone might think you’re attracted to me,” he teases.

“Why would they ever get that idea?” Clarke grins slyly at him and he leans down, giving her a kiss. She threads her fingers into his hair and pulls him closer.

The back door closes from down the hall and they break apart. “I guess I should go help.” He pouts and Clarke stands on her tip toes and gives him a chaste kiss.

“I’ll bring you something to drink later.”

“Mmm…” his arm around her waist tightens and she giggles. “How’d I get so lucky?” He leans forward and presses their foreheads together.

“I ask myself that every day.” She can feel herself blush and Bellamy smiles before peppering her face with kisses.

“I won’t be long, you go relax with Madi?”

“Are you trying to tell me what to do?” Clarke quirks and eyebrow and he grins, that wonderful boyish grin that she can’t help but love.

“I would never.” He steps backwards, bringing her hand up and kissing the back of it. “Try not to miss me.”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself.” Clarke huffs and rolls her eyes but it only makes Bellamy grin wider.

“If you say so, Princess.” Bellamy winks then he disappears down the hall.

Clarke must be smiling like the Cheshire cat because when she walks into the living room, her mother smiles back at her, her eyebrows raised. Clarke just shrugs and lays down on the couch, snuggling up against her daughter. _I’ve eaten a little too much, too._ She tries to stay up and watch the movie but she can feel the sleep lulling her away. Just as she closes her eyes, thoughts about what’ll happen during the rest of the trip fill her mind. She smiles. _This is going to be the best trip ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update this over the weekend! I just got a puppy and let's just say I haven't had time for much else lol I'll try my best to update this weekend but if I can't then the next chapter will go up next Tuesday!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bob Morley and Eliza Taylor are married.   
> Beliza.   
> We have Beliza.   
> I'm still screaming and it's been over 16 hours since I found out.
> 
> So, this chapter...!  
> Their time in D.C. :)

 

Clarke wakes up to the backdoor shutting and Kane and Bellamy’s voices echoing from the hallway. _Dammit, his drink_. She untangles herself from the blanket her mother had draped over her and Madi then pads her way into the kitchen. Bellamy is in the process of rubbing a towel over his face and neck and Clarke can’t help but stare at how the sweat droplets cling to his skin and dangle at the end of his curls. _Walking Adonis indeed._

“I hope Kane didn’t make you work too hard.” Clarke watches as Bellamy turns towards her and grins.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle, Princess.” He winks and Clarke laughs, making her way towards the cabinet to grab a glass. She fills it up with ice and lemonade before handing it over to him.

“Sorry, I should’ve brought this out sooner but Madi and I fell asleep.”

“Nothing to apologize for, thank you.” Bellamy wraps his free arm around her waist then kisses her temple. “But after I drink this I think I need a shower.”

“I think you do too, you kind of smell.” Clarke scrunches up her nose and Bellamy pouts.

“You don’t like my manly musk?”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Clarke laughs, “don’t even go down that road.”

“Why not? We used to be cavemen, babe, being smelly was all part of the mating process.” He grins before leaning in to kiss her and she squeals before ducking away.

“Alright, I’m going to go back to sleep with Madi, feel free to join us after your _manly musk_ has been put under control.” She blows him a kiss and winks before heading back into the living room.

She dozes back off but is woken up by Bellamy trying to squeeze onto the couch with her and Madi. When Clarke looks at him, he gives her his boyish grins then settles at her legs, looking up at her. She giggles and reaches out to run her fingers through his damp curls.

“What are we going to do today?” Bellamy’s eyes dance with excitement and Clarke’s heart flutters at the sight.

“What do _you_ want to do today?” Clarke watches as a mischievous grin spreads across his face and it makes her body heat up.

“I can think of at least one thing.” His eyes darken and he continues grinning so Clarke takes the pillow from behind her head and swats him with it.

“I said to _day_ , not to _night_.” She whispers, glancing around to make sure her mom and Marcus wasn’t listening to their conversation.

“Museum?” Bellamy picks his head up and the boyish grin is back.

“Any museum in particular?”

“Museum of Natural History.”

Clarke smiles. “Then museum it is.”

Even though Clarke has been to the Smithsonian museums more times than she cares to admit, seeing Bellamy so excited makes her excited. Kane let them take his truck and since Bellamy doesn’t know the roads, Clarke is the one driving. While they’re stopped at a red light, she can see Bellamy looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

“What?” She turns and smiles at him. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No, I just like to look at you.” Bellamy grins then reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“You are so cheesy.” Clarke chuckles then the vehicle starts moving again as the light turns green.

Once they’re in the museum, Bellamy can’t seem to figure out which way he wants to go. He’s holding Madi in his arms and pointing around the building, while she’s staring at everything. Eventually, Bellamy settles on the hall of human origins and Clarke follows, taking pictures and sending them to their friends back home.

On school field trips to the museums, Clarke hardly ever paid attention. She enjoyed going to the museums but the people who were in charge of leading the groups were never able to really keep her interest. But, Bellamy? Bellamy was a completely different story. The way he talked about things and his ability to make things come to life right before her eyes caught Clarke in a trance and she didn’t want to leave. At this point, she must be staring at him because he stops talking and blushes, giving her a shy smile.

“What?”

“Nothing, I just like looking at you.” Clarke leans into his chest and smiles up at him.

“Seems that’s one thing we can agree on.” He smirks.

“Yes, it is.” She flicks her eyes towards his mouth and his smirk widens before he leans down and presses his lips to hers.

“Oh, how adorable.” The two of them break apart and see an older couple smiling at them.

“Don’t mind her, she likes getting into people’s business,” is what the older man says, but Clarke can tell it’s full of love with the way he’s looking at his wife.

“Do you want us to take a picture?” The older lady smiles and Clarke can feel herself blush.

“If you’d be so kind.” Clarke pulls her phone out of her back pocket and hands it over.

“Alright, big smiles for the beautiful family.” The lady holds up the phone and Bellamy’s arm tightens around Clarke’s waist, bringing her closer to him. The action catches her off guard so she turns and smiles at him, but he’s already looking at her. “Perfect!” The lady hands the phone over and her and her husband say their goodbyes.

Clarke pulls up the picture and what she sees makes her smiles. Her and Bellamy are looking at each other while Madi grins like a madman in his arms. _Beautiful family indeed._ Clarke sends the picture to Bellamy then sets it as her lock screen. _My beautiful family_.

They take their time going around the rest of the museum and by the time they’re finished, Clarke’s feet are hurting and she’s worked off her large breakfast from that morning. They all decide to go to a café next to it so Clarke and Bellamy can get coffee while they decide on where else they want to go. They haven’t been sitting down long when Clarke’s phone rings and Wells’ face pops up on her screen.

“Wells Jaha, long time no talk.”

“You talk to me _every day_ , Clarke, you haven’t _seen_ me in a month.” Clarke can hear Wells’ smile on the other end of the line.

“True. So, what’s up?”

“Look up and slightly to your right.” Clarke’s head snaps up and she immediately sees Wells walking towards their table. She grins and stands up, sprinting towards him.

All her life, she’s had Wells by her side and when they both went off to college on opposite sides of the country, it was heartbreaking. Now, every time they see each other it’s like all of the memories they have together come bubbling up to the surface and Clarke can’t stop smiling. Wells braces himself as Clarke crashes into him and they both laugh. Wells tightens his arms around her and carries her a few feet before setting her back down.

“I missed you too.”

“Damn right you did.” Clarke grins up at her best friend then they head back towards the table where Madi and Bellamy are smiling, but Bellamy looks a little more smug than their daughter.

“Uncle Wells!” Madi chirps and Wells smiles before leaning down to give Madi a hug.

“Hey, little one.”

“What’s with that face?” Clarke cocks an eyebrow at him as she sits down, pulling her chair closer to Bellamy’s so Wells has a place to sit.

“Nothing.” Bellamy grins then he and Wells nod and smile at each other. Clarke narrows her eyes and looks between the two of them.

“You told him where we were, didn’t you?” She turns towards Bellamy and his grin only widens.

“Maybe.”

Clarke laughs then throws her arms around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Of course, Clarke.” He says her name softly and it pulls at her heart. He rarely calls her by her name, it’s always either baby or Princess, but the way it sounds coming from his mouth makes her melt.

“But now that I am here, who’s hungry?” Wells rubs his hands together and looks at them.

“What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking Bellamy might enjoy Busboys and Poets.” Wells smiles.

“We haven’t been there in forever!” Clarke turns to Bellamy and smiles. “Do you want to go?”

Bellamy looks skeptically between Wells and Clarke but the corners of his mouth turn up and he smiles. “Lead the way, Princess.”

Walking into Busboys and Poets, Clarke is pretty sure this is the biggest he’s smiled in a place that isn’t his sister’s diner. They all sit down and Madi goes to work drawing some paper that the hostess gave her while Clarke, Bellamy, and Wells all decide on what they want to eat.

“My dad is also dropping by tonight, Kane said something about grilling?” Wells says over his menu.

“So that’s why I saw my mother carrying a bunch of grocery bags from the butcher. I thought she was just craving red meat.” Clarke muses and Wells snorts. Really, it wasn’t a good attempt at a joke but Wells always laughed.

They take their time eating, but before long Jaha is calling Wells and Abby is texting both Clarke and Bellamy to make sure that they get home soon. Wells and Bellamy split the check then they say their goodbyes before Clarke leads the way back to the car.

Walking through the front door of the house, she should’ve expected Jaha to be waiting for them. He gives her a hug, shakes Bellamy’s hand, and picks Madi up, making her smile. He leads the way through the house to the backyard where Kane already has the barbeque pit going. Clarke feels a surge of love and appreciation for her mom and Kane, because they were never really ones to actually sit outside and barbeque themselves, but they seemed to really like her and Madi’s birthday party so much that they went out and bought a new pit.

“Ah, there they are!” Kane looks up and waves the tongs at them. “How was the museum?”

“I think the museum was a hit.” Clarke smiles at Bellamy and he’s already grinning from ear to ear.

“I loved it.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it.”

“Incoming!” Abby’s voice rings across the yard and everyone moves out of her way as she carries a tray full of food towards Kane.

“Think you got enough food, mom?” Clarke quirks an eyebrow at her mother.

“Yeah, mom, that’s enough food to feed an entire army.” Wells raises his eyebrows too and Clarke smirks. When they were younger, Wells had gotten into the habit of calling Abby his ‘second mom’ and after that it just kind of stuck.

“Good, then we’ll have left overs!” Abby grins and Clarke can’t help laughing. Her mother was either nervous about Bellamy coming to D.C. for the first time or she just went overboard with preparing. _Both. It’s definitely both_. “Bellamy,” Abby says as she starts back towards the house, “would you be a dear and make sure my husband and Jaha don’t burn themselves?”

“Hey!” Jaha protests.

“That’s not nice, sweetie.” Kane gives Abby an angry pout and Clarke thinks it’s funny that pouting seems to know no age limit.

“It’s all from love, darling. All from love.” Abby winks then rushes back inside and Clarke watches her go.

“So, I have a question.” Bellamy wraps his arms around Clarke’s waist and leans in towards her ear. “Do you think that’ll be us when we’re their age in like twenty years?”

“Them, and the older couple from the museum.” Clarke smiles and leans into him more. He kisses the tip of her ear and she giggles as something crosses her mind. “Is this you telling me that you want to spend the rest of your life with me, Mr. Blake?”

His arms tighten around her and she can hear him suck in a breath as if he’s about to say something, but Kane calling him over to the barbeque pit breaks them part. He kisses the top of her head and smiles at her, so she tries to not let her disappointment show. It’s still too early to be talking about things like that, and she’s mentally kicking herself for saying anything, but part of her really wants to know.

“Clarke, little help?” She looks over to where Wells is trying to undo the pool cover. “It’s too damn hot out here to not have this open.” Clarke glances towards Madi, but she’s occupied with trying to catch a butterfly.

“Wells Jaha, don’t make me clean your mouth out with soap.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Wells groans but Clarke can see the corners of his mouth turn up.”

“Alright,” Clarke positions herself on the other side of the pool, “one, two, three!”

Clarke, Madi, and Abby get into the pool, leaving the men to tend to the food. Just swimming around with her daughter and talking with her mother, knowing Bellamy is right there, has Clarke feeling nearly as calm as she was on the fourth of July. Eventually, Bellamy is able to slip away from cooking duties and he take off his shirt before slipping into the pool with his shorts still on. Clarke has Madi bouncing up and down between her legs and she’s reminded of the first time she got into the pool with Bellamy. Like then, he swims to where Madi is and Clarke moves her legs, allowing Bellamy to pick Madi up.

“Got you!” Bellamy grins triumphantly and Madi squeals.

“Daddy!”

“Hey, munchkin.”

“Again, daddy!”

“Again?” Bellamy lifts Madi into the air, causing her to laugh more. “You want to do that again?” Madi nods her head. “Alright, hold on.”

Bellamy goes under water then shoots back up, only making Madi laugh louder. Clarke doesn’t see her mom get out of the pool, she’s too caught up in the two smiling people in front of her. After a few more jumps, Bellamy swims over to Clarke with Madi still in his arms and wraps his free arm around her waist.

“Hey, mama.” Bellamy grins.

“Hi.” Clarke can feel herself blush as Bellamy leans in to kiss her cheek.

“Madi, do you want a popsicle?” Kane calls from the back door and Madi starts nodding her head wildly. Bellamy sets her onto the concrete and she runs towards her grandfather.

“Now, I can have you all to myself.” This time, Bellamy wraps both of his arms around Clarke’s waist and pulls her into his lap.

“Bellamy, my family is here.” She chastises him, but a grin breaks out across his face and Clarke can see the mischievousness behind it.

“I’m not doing anything, Princess, my hands are respectfully on your waist.”

“I’m straddling you in front of my best friend and his dad.” She points out.

“You’re sitting mostly on my knees, I don’t think that’s a problem, baby.” He keeps grinning as he brings one hand up to cup the back of her head. All worries she had about being a little too close with her family around evaporates as her mind goes blank and all she can think about is him.

“Ew, go to your room, young lady!” Wells groans from somewhere behind them and the two of them break apart, laughing.

“No one said you had to be here, Jaha.” Clarke retorts.

“Please, we both know you want me here.”

“Don’t push it.” Clarke can hear Wells snort and she turns her attention back to the man in front of her. “Now, where were we?” Bellamy grins before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

The rest of the day goes pretty much the same. The two of them swim for a little bit longer until Bellamy has to get out to help with the food, then Clarke, Madi, Wells, and Abby all play hide and seek, but in between everything, Bellamy is always wrapping Clarke in his arms and kissing her. Clarke loves it.

That night, after Wells and Jaha have gone home and her parents have gone to sleep for the night, Clarke and Bellamy lie in her bed and just talk about what else they want to do while they’re on the trip. The conversation drifts into them asking each other questions and laughing in the shared space between them. This was what Clarke thought about when she was younger, laying in bed with someone and just talking about anything and everything they can think of. She loves the nights like these with Bellamy. At some point she yawns but doesn’t open her eyes again, and she can hear Bellamy chuckle beside her.

“Sleepy, Princess?”

“Mhmm…” She nods her head and scoots closer to him. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer.

“Goodnight, baby.” He kisses the top of her head and she smiles before placing a kiss to his chest.

“Goodnight, Bellamy.” His arms tighten around her.

Everything is quiet and Clarke is on the verge of being lost to the darkness when she feels Bellamy nuzzle her hair a little and it brings her back up, but she can’t force herself to move. “I love you, Clarke.” He whispers it into her hair and her heart rate accelerates. She wants to say it back, it’s on the tip of her tongue, but sleep still carries her away with the words echoing in her ears. _I love you, Clarke. He loves me_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BUT BELIZA PEOPLE. I CAN'T GET OVER IT.
> 
> We have one more chapter and then the epilogue and I would be lying if I said I wasn't crying at the idea of this fic being over. BUT I am playing around with the idea of possibly doing Bellamy's perspective for first meeting Clarke and Madi. Is that something y'all would be interested in? Let me know in the comments!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beliza. I'm still reeling from it lol
> 
> It's Christmas time in Arkadia!  
> I'm sorry for the time jump, but I've had this planned for a while :)

Another semester of school down, Bellamy is finished grading papers, and now Clarke, Bellamy, Madi, and all of their friends are gathering around town square to see the Christmas tree being lit. It’s cold enough to where Clarke is having to wear thick jacket over her sweater, but it’s not cold enough to where she would’ve layered up any more than that. Their plan tonight is to watch the tree lighting ceremony then head back to Bellamy’s to celebrate the end of the semester and just hangout since they’ve all been pretty busy the past two weeks.

Clarke is standing next to Bellamy who has Madi in his arms, and they’re both pointing at things on the dark tree. A strong breeze cuts through the square, causing Clarke to huddle into her jacket.

“Hey, do you want some hot chocolate?” Clarke looks up at Bellamy. He hasn’t had a chance to really shave the past few days so she can see the beginnings of a small beard showing through, but she likes it.

“I can get it.” Bellamy smiles down at her and her heart leaps.

“I got it,” she leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Madi, do you want to help me?” Madi nods and Bellamy puts her down, and Clarke grabs her hand. “We’ll be right back, daddy.” Clarke winks and she can see Bellamy’s adam’s apple bob and she grins.

The wait for hot chocolate is longer than Clarke expected, but the lady at the counter gives Madi a gingerbread cookie to nibble on while they’re waiting so it isn’t too bad. After about ten minutes of waiting around, a familiar voice comes from beside her.

“Clarke?” Clarke stiffens before turning around to face the person. His hair has gotten longer, it’s almost to his shoulders, but Finn still looks the same as he did four years ago.

“Finn.”

“Hey, it’s been a while.”

“It has.” Clarke instinctively moves in front of Madi who’s pretty oblivious to anything that’s happening around her since she’s so focused on her cookie. “I didn’t know you still lived in Arkadia.”

“I just moved back, actually.” The way he looks at her makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “I moved out to California for a while and did some soul searching,” _Right…_ , “but I’m actually really glad that I ran into you.”

“You are?” Clarke cocks an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, I, uh, I wanted to apologize for what I did,” Finn swallows. “I was a real asshole to you and I left you to deal with something on your own because I was too much of a coward to deal with it myself.” _The fact that you’re referring to me getting pregnant with our daughter as ‘it’ does not bode well for you_. “I know that just saying sorry isn’t enough, but, I wanted you to know that I’ve regretted my decision since.”

“I wasn’t alone, I had Raven.” She snaps out. “And you do realize that if you really had regretted your decision you could’ve told me sooner, right?” Clarke can’t keep the bite out of her voice but she can feel Madi tug on her coat sleeve.

“I know, but I was wanting to—"

“Mama, I have to use the bathroom.” At Madi’s voice, Finn looks down, his eyes going wide. He stares at Madi for a beat before turning his attention back to Clarke.

“Is that—”

“There’s my girls!” Bellamy’s voice rings out over the commotion going on around them and Clarke visibly sighs with relief. “Hey, I was wondering what was taking so long.”

“Hi, daddy.” Madi smiles and Bellamy picks her up.

“Hello, Princess.” He leans in to give Clarke a kiss on the cheek before noticing Finn standing a few feet away. _Oh god._ “Hi, I’m Bellamy.” Bellamy holds his free hand out to Finn who stares at it before reaching out and shaking it.

“Finn.”

Clarke watches as the gears in Bellamy’s head turn and he glances at Clarke, a silent question in his eyes. She gives him the smallest of nods in hopes that he would notice it. Bellamy’s features seem to darken, but if someone didn’t know him, then they wouldn’t have noticed. He wraps his free hand around Clarke protectively as Madi lays her head on his shoulder.

“I—” Finn clears his throat, “I should probably get going. It was nice seeing you again, Clarke, and meeting you, Bellamy.” Finn shoves his hands in his pockets and gives them a quick nod before turning around walking back the way he came.

Clarke sags against Bellamy and buries her head into his shoulder. She can feel tears prick her eyes but she has no idea why. Bellamy rubs his hand up and down her back.

“I got you, baby.” She wraps her hands around his waist and holds him tight. “Can you talk to me?”

Clarke picks her head up and sniffles. “It’s stupid, I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

“You do.” Bellamy whispers into her hair and places a kiss on her crown.

“Next in line!” The person at the window calls.

“Here, can you take Madi while I get the drinks?” Bellamy asks and Clarke nods, reaching out for their daughter.

“I have to pee, mama.”

“Okay, darling,” Clarke looks up at Bellamy, “we’ll meet you back at our spot, yeah?”

“Sounds good, Princess.” Bellamy smiles at her and she can feel herself smiling back.

Porta Potties are disgusting and Clarke hates ever having to use one. After some finagling so Madi didn’t have to sit down on the seat, the two of them start walking back to where Bellamy is standing with the rest of their friends. He’s talking to Raven when the two of them come up and Raven immediately gives Clarke a look of concern. She tries waving her friend off, and in the end Raven takes Madi over to where August is with Octavia and Lincoln. Bellamy hands her the small cup of hot chocolate and pulls her close.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Bellamy rests his head on top of hers.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Well, what did he say?”

“He said he wanted to apologize.” Clarke pulls back and looks at him. “He wanted to apologize for leaving me to deal with the pregnancy by myself. But I told him I wasn’t alone, I had Raven.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“Well I told him that if he really did regret his decision then he could’ve apologized sooner. He started to say something else but then Madi got his attention and then you showed up.”

Bellamy reaches up and runs his fingers through her hair. “If he had apologized sooner…” Bellamy trails off and Clarke stands there looking at him, waiting for him to finish. “If he had apologized sooner, would you have taken him back?”

“No.” Clarke’s answer is immediate. “He could have apologized and turned his life around for the better, and even wanted to be a dad to Madi, but I wouldn’t have taken him back.”

“And you’re sure?” Bellamy’s eyes are dark and there’s something in them that Clarke can’t quite place.

“Of course I’m sure, Bellamy.” Now, she’s the one to bring her hands up and run her fingers through his hair. “Everything that’s happened has brought me to right here, right now, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.” A ghost of a smile forms on Bellamy’s lips, so Clarke keeps talking. “You’re it for me, Bellamy, you’re my forever. You’re who I want to wake up to every morning and fall asleep with every night. You may not be Madi’s real dad and now that Finn’s back in Arkadia he may want to fight for custody, but no matter what happens, I’ll always choose you.” Bellamy leans forward and presses their foreheads together. “It’ll always be you.”

The kiss he gives her leaves a scorch mark on her lips, it’s hotter than the hot chocolate she’s forgotten about. She tries to pour all of the love and adoration she feels for him into the kiss, and she can feel him do the same. His fingers knot in her hair and she forgets that they’re in public. It’s only when there’s some whoops and yells from Murphy and Jasper that the two of them break apart.

“I love you, Clarke Griffin.” Bellamy caresses her cheek with his thumb.

“And I love you, Bellamy Blake.” He smiles at her. The soft, boyish smile that makes him look like a carefree teenager despite being in his nearly-late-twenties. It’s the smile, she’s come to realize, that makes her heart and love for him grow with each passing moment.

“Ten! Nine! Eight…” The countdown to the tree lighting starts and Raven hands Madi back to Clarke so they can all watch it together. When the countdown gets to one, everyone cheers and Madi claps her hands, smiling from ear to ear.

“Merry Christmas, my darling.”

“Merry Christmas, mama.” Madi smiles then leans her head onto Clarke’s shoulder. _It’s getting a little late for her_.

“And Merry Christmas, daddy.” Clarke smiles at her boyfriend.

“Merry Christmas, daddy.” Madi echoes and Bellamy’s smile widens.

“Merry Christmas to my two favorite girls.” He wraps them into a big bear hug which causes both Clarke and Madi to start laughing.

“Don’t let Octavia hear you say that,” Clarke teases and Bellamy only smirks.

“She’ll be okay.”

“Come on, guys! We still have a party to start!” Murphy calls from his place with Emori and there’s more whoops and cheers from their friend group.

“Daddy.” Madi yawns and reaches out for Bellamy who takes her willingly. “I tired.”

“We’ll get you to bed, sweetie.” He kisses her head then takes Clarke hand in his free one. “Ready for more celebrating?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Clarke smiles.

Everyone is already inside the house by the time Bellamy and Clarke pull into the driveway, and Madi is passed out in her car seat. Bellamy grabs the bags out of the backseat while Clarke gets Madi out of the truck and the three of them head into the house together. There’s some quiet Christmas music coming from the kitchen as Clarke and Bellamy make their way up to one of the spare bedrooms. A couple of months ago, Bellamy had turned one of the spare bedrooms into a place for August and Madi to sleep so they didn’t have to sleep in Octavia or Bellamy’s room.

August has already been put to bed and once Madi is fast asleep in her bed too, Bellamy takes Clarke’s hand and guides her downstairs to where everyone else is. Drinks have already been passed around, it’s Murphy’s hot toddys that he’s been making since the weather got colder. As soon as everyone catches sight of them, their own drinks are placed in their hands and before long, Clarke gets roped into dancing with Raven and Harper.

The incident with Finn is forgotten, but Clarke can tell in the way that Raven looks at her when they stop dancing that it’s still something they need to talk about. Raven leads her into the kitchen so they can get some more drinks and Emori hands them each a mixed drink then leaves to be Murphy’s partner at beer pong.

“So, Bellamy told me some of it, but he didn’t have much.” Raven leans against the counter and Clarke joins her. “So what happened?”

Clarke runs through the interaction and when she’s finished, Raven is full-on death glaring. If Finn was in front of her now, he’d be a little pile of ash. “That jackass son of a bitch,” Raven grumbles, “he thinks he can leave you and his child then come back four years later and just _apologize_? Who the fuck does that? You’re _happy_ and you being this happy is all I’ve ever wanted for you then this fucker shows up and tries to ruin it? Oh my god—”

“Rave, take a breather,” Clarke tries to calm her friend down but she’s on a roll.

“If I had fucking been there— _oh my god_.” Raven runs her fingers through her hair. “Oh I would have _loved_ to see the look on his face when Madi called Bellamy dad—wait,” Raven stops moving but turns to look at Clarke, her eyes narrowed. “Do you think he’ll try and get custody?”

Clarke shrugs. “No idea. I mean, he hasn’t been around for anything and, if I’m being honest, Madi doesn’t need him.”

“Right, because of Bellamy.”

“Yeah.” Clarke sighs. She never thought about the possibility of Finn coming back and trying to get custody, but if that’s something he tries then…well, she’ll fight him on it. He hasn’t been a part of her life at any point and even though Clarke was worried about Madi asking about her dad, Bellamy is there now. “Would I be a terrible person for saying I don’t want him around?”

“No, Clarke.” Raven sets her drink down on the counter and places her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “Finn wasn’t ready to be a dad then and I don’t care if he says his life is on track now, he’s lost that privilege. With how he acted tonight, I don’t think he’ll try to talk to her or ask for custody. Do you?”

“I guess not…”

“And, besides, if he did then I know for a fact that no judge would rule in his favor, they’ll see how awesome you and Bellamy are.”

“Thanks, Raven.” Clarke gives her friend a small smile before pulling her into a hug.

“I’m always here for you.”

“I know, thank you.”

“Hey, Clarke?” Bellamy pops his head into the kitchen and Raven and Clarke pull apart. “I uh—” He rubs the back of his neck.

“I’ll just...go somewhere,” Raven grins before slipping out of the kitchen.

Clarke smiles and walks towards Bellamy whose a little flushed from the alcohol he’s been drinking. “Hello, my handsome knight in shining armor,” Clarke purrs as she wraps her hands around his neck. “Did you want to ask me something?”

Bellamy leans down and rubs his nose along hers. “Do you want to dance, Princess?” His voice is barely above a whisper.

“Dance? Like right now?” Clarke pulls back and smiles up at him. He nods his head.

“Right here, right now.” His hands, which were resting on her hips, snake around her waist as he pulls her closer.

“Let’s dance.”

Clarke rests her head on Bellamy’s chest and he takes one of her hands and clasps it in his. He starts swaying and then starts moving them around the kitchen. There’s music drifting in from the living room and all Clarke can think about is Bellamy’s heartbeat under her ear. At some point Bellamy starts humming along with the song and it makes Clarke smile as the lyrics wash over her.

_My heart’s on fire and the flame grows higher_  
_So I will weather the storm_  
_What do I care how much it may storm_  
_I’ve got my love to keep me warm_

Clarke closes her eyes and lets herself get lost in the rumble in Bellamy’s chest and the feeling of his hand in hers. Bellamy whisks them around the kitchen, oblivious to their friends partying in the next room. Despite the unpleasantness she had experienced a little over an hour before, she’s blissfully happy right now.

When the song comes to an end, Clarke pulls back to look at him. She can feel tears pricking the corners of her eyes and Bellamy reaches up to wipe them away. “Baby?” His eyebrows knit in concern but Clarke smiles.

“I really love you, you know that?”

“I love you too, Clarke.” He leans down and presses a soft kiss to her lips. “I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone else.”

Clarke leans forward and smiles. “How did I get so lucky?”

“I’m the lucky one, Princess.” Bellamy gives her another kiss.

The two of them just stand in the kitchen holding each other until Octavia skips into the room with a pong ball in her hand. “Hey, if the two of you want to take a break from trying to suck each other’s faces off, I want a beer pong rematch.”

“A rematch from the summer, O?” Bellamy smiles at his little sister.

“Hell yes.”

Clarke can feel Bellamy chuckle as it sounds in her ears. “Alright, lead the way, and be prepared to get annihilated.”

“No chance in hell, big brother.”

Lincoln and Octavia win the game, but only because Clarke could tell Bellamy was holding back, and the rest of the night goes on like every other get together does. Everyone laughs and dances but Clarke finds herself glued to Bellamy more tonight than she usually is. Maybe it’s because of the admittance of just how deeply they love each other, or maybe it has something to do with Finn and Clarke realizes just how different her life could’ve been, she’s not sure, but Bellamy’s arm wrapped around her makes her feel like she’s walking on cloud nine.

As it’s nearing midnight and everyone is starting to wind down, Clarke notices Bellamy slip out to the backyard. It’s colder than it had been a few hours ago and Clarke regrets not bringing a better jacket outside with her.

“Hey, you okay?” Clarke is huddled near the back door with her arms wrapped firmly around her. Bellamy starts at her voice and he turns around to look at her. His hair is tousled from the wind and his face is red from the cold, which only makes Clarke’s heart stutter more.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I was just thinking.” His hands are in his pockets and he toes at the ground. _Something is bothering him_.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Clarke moves to where he’s standing and tries to give him a smile but a large gust of wind cuts through the yard and she hunches over even more.

“Come here.” Bellamy takes his hands out of his pockets and shrugs off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders with a kiss to her forehead.

“You won’t be cold?”

“I’m fine, baby.” He wraps his arms around her and rests his head on top of hers.

“Are you really?” Her voice is quiet and she feels him tighten his hold on her.

“I was just thinking about my mom.”

_Oh._ Bellamy’s mom is not someone he talks about often, just every now and then when they’re cleaning the house or visiting somewhere she used to take him and Octavia. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I don’t know, it’s just—It’s not a big deal.”

“Hey,” Clarke pulls back to look up at him, “it’s your mom, Bellamy, of course it’s a big deal.”

Bellamy looks down at her, his brown eyes glowing from the light that’s coming from the house behind her. “I was just thinking about how happy she would’ve been to see August, and get to know Madi, and how much she would’ve loved you. Christmas time…” He trails off, looking over Clarke’s head and into the house, “Christmas time is a hard time for me and O, you know? Our mother always loved the season and it took a while after she died for us to really love it again.”

“It was the same way for me when I lost my dad,” Clarke whispers. “He would get so happy when Christmas music would start playing on the radio and he would always put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving.” Clarke starts to tear up at the memories. “And when he died, it was like all of the Christmas spirit had been sucked out of me. It took years for me to learn how to love Christmas without breaking down at the thought of him not being with me, but I realized that I can celebrate Christmas as a way to keep my father’s spirit alive.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Bellamy murmurs before pulling Clarke back to his chest. “When did you get so wise?” Bellamy teases and Clarke laughs against his chest.

“I think it comes with motherhood.” Clarke listens has his chest rumbles with his laugh.

“Maybe so.”

Clarke looks up at him again and he’s looking down at her. There’s so much love and adoration in his eyes that Clarke is pretty sure if he keeps looking at her like that she might cry. He leans down and gives her a soft kiss and she melts into him. _My Bellamy_. His hands tangle in her hair and hers grip the front of his sweater. Almost eight months together and Clarke still feels like she’s in the honeymoon phase.

When they break apart, they’re both grinning and Clarke can feel her heart soar. As she’s looking up at him, she sees something land in his hair and before she can reach up to get rid of it, she feels something cold land on her forehead. She looks up at the sky and Bellamy follows suit, within a few seconds, white specks are falling towards the ground and Clarke can’t help but giggle.

“It’s snowing.”

“Maybe we’ll have a white Christmas.” Bellamy sounds just as mesmerized as she does.

“You think it’ll stick?”

“We can always hope, Princess.” He smiles and Clarke’s grin widens. She looks back at the sky before turning back to the man in front of her. He leans down and kisses her again. “Merry Christmas, Clarke.”

“Merry Christmas, Bellamy.” She smiles.

The door to the house opens and Clarke can hear their friends spilling out of it. “It’s snowing!”

“Oh my god!”

“We’re getting a white Christmas!”

The two of them are tackled by their friends and before long, a thin layer of snow is covering the ground and a bunch of grownups are standing around trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. Just for a little while, they can all forget about school, and work, and their loans, and the stress of planning their Christmas get together, and just have fun. They’re all still young and they deserve to act like kids again.

As the snow thickens, the boys try to start a snowball fight but the girls decide to try and make snow angels. Clarke thinks they should probably wake up the kids and let them see, but something tells her that they all need this right now, and with the way the snow is falling, she’s sure it’ll be there in the morning.

Bellamy helps her up from the place where she was making her snow angel and he picks her up in his arms, twirling her around while she giggles. He seems to happy and carefree, the sadness that had been looming over him earlier nowhere to be seen. His black curls are peppered with snowflakes and Clarke begins to wonder if she should get him a hat, but him kissing her drives any thoughts she may be having out of her head.

When they pull apart, that boyish grin that she loves is plastered on to his face. “You do know you mean the absolute world to me, don’t you?”

“Mmm…I may need to be reminded,” Clarke hums and Bellamy leans down to give her a kiss.

“I think we should go to bed.”

Clarke giggles. “I think so too.”

Hand in hand, Bellamy leads the way back through the house and up the stairs to his room. His curtains are open so Clarke can see the snow falling outside and the moonlight that had been illuminating the back yard. The two of them take their time removing each other’s clothes and trailing kisses across each other’s bodies. It’s slow, and it’s intimate, and it makes Clarke feel like her heart is going to burst with how gentle and caring Bellamy is being towards her. When their eyes meet, Clarke can see their entire lives spread out in front of her. _This is everything it’s supposed to be, and all I could have ever wanted_.

“I love you, Bellamy,” Clarke whispers while laying in his arms. He’s tracing patterns onto her bare back while she counts the freckles on his chest.

“I love you too, Clarke.” He brings her lips up to meet his and she melts into him again.

Being with Bellamy is the best thing that has ever happened to her, aside from having Madi, and she’s still having a hard time believing that the beautiful man beside her is hers. _You’re still too good to be true, Bellamy Blake._ They both fall asleep that night with their arms wrapped around each other and nothing but the sound of each other’s breathing and heartbeats lulling them to sleep.

 

* * *

 

**Clarke Griffin’s Phone**

**Unknown Number  
2:32AM**

_I’m hoping you still have the same number, but if not then this might be awkward. I didn’t get to finish what I was saying earlier, and I just wanted you to know that I’m happy you’re happy. She’s gotten so big and the guy you’re with, Bellamy, seems like the best father any child could ask for. I really am happy, for the both of you. You don’t have to worry about a custody battle or anything, that’s not something I would want to put her through, or you. I haven’t been there, and she doesn’t know me, so there’s no reason as to why I would. I hope you get the life you deserve, Clarke, and even though sorry doesn’t cut it, I am sorry for what I did to you. Though it seems like it all worked out in the end. Merry Christmas._

_\- Finn_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd be lying if I said I wasn't crying at the idea of this being over, but, now there's only the epilogue left so I'm definitely going to be crying come Saturday  
> Also, if you'd be interested in Bellamy's POV then let me know down in the comments!
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> P.S. I have another fic that I've been working on that's going to be really short (it was supposed to be a one shot but it kind of got away from me lol) and that will either go up later today or tomorrow so I'd love it if you could check it out! It's called "Baby, It's You"


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> I'm sorry for the late update! But this took a while lol
> 
> Also, sorry for any spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes!!

**_Four and a half months later…_ **

“Our one year anniversary and I still can’t believe how lucky I am.” Bellamy murmurs as he pulls Clarke closer. They’ve spent the entire day together and with Madi, but Bellamy had told Clarke that he wanted them to have the night together, alone. Miller even offered to watch Madi with Raven and Shaw so the two them could have the house together.

“I still think you’re too good to be true,” Clarke smiles. “I keep feeling like I need to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming.”

Bellamy hums. “Well, we can’t have you thinking that tonight is a dream.” Clarke feels his hand that’s on her waist move and he pinches her.

“Hey!” She pulls back and swats at his shoulder which only makes him laugh.

“Sorry, Princess, just had to make sure you’re awake.” Bellamy grins before leaning down and pressing their foreheads together. “I don’t want you to miss a thing.”

“Never.” Clarke smiles and leans up on her toes to press her lips to his.

Their day started with Clarke waking up to Bellamy smiling down at her and pulling her into him. They had a couple of hours together before Madi came running into the room and jumping on the bed with them. Then Bellamy made breakfast for the three of them, and for Raven and Shaw, before joining Clarke in the shower. It was a pretty relaxing morning and Clarke couldn’t believe it’s already been a year since she met him in the airport.

Then Bellamy took them out to the space museum since Clarke had said she’s been wanting to visit it, and they laid back in their chairs as they watched the stars and galaxies move around the ceiling. Then, Clarke made it a point to get Bellamy to the new history museum that had opened the day before. After that, the two of them dropped Madi off at home and came back to Bellamy’s so he could make her dinner. Which, she wasn’t about to let him cook dinner without helping him.

She realized that he had talked to Miller to help him get everything set up for their dinner, so now the backyard was like a wonderland. There was a table with flowers and candles on the patio with string lights coming from the second floor and connected to the ground that makes a curtain of lights around them. Monty had even gone as far as to place more flowers around the backyard too. Bellamy had brought out a radio too which is what led to them now dancing under the lights with Clarke’s hand in his and her arm wrapped around his neck while his rests on her waist.

She got to spend today with her two favorite people and from the way Bellamy talked, she still had a long night ahead of her. Clarke leans her head on his chest and hums. Being wrapped in Bellamy’s arms quickly became her favorite place to be when they first started dating, and it still is. She could stay like this forever.

“Have I told you how gorgeous you are?” Bellamy murmurs into her hair and she giggles.

“Hmm…I don’t mind being reminded.” Clarke smiles against his chest. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Oh, I don’t look so bad? That’s a relief.” Bellamy teases and it makes her giggle.

“You are, hands down, the most attractive man I have ever met,” She grins up at him, “you’re my walking Adonis, babe.”

He nods his head in approval, returning her grin. “See, that’s more like it.”

She throws her head back and laughs as he whisks her around the backyard. No one has ever made her feel so happy and carefree, and she plans on never letting him go. They dance for a few more minutes and Bellamy twirls her around a few times before Clarke goes inside to get some more wine for the two of them. When she comes out, she hands Bellamy his glass before wrapping her arms around him.

“This has been the best anniversary ever,” She hums as she leans against him.

“I’m glad you think so.” She can hear the smile in Bellamy’s voice. “But I’m wondering if there’s a way I could make it even better.” He turns around in Clarke’s arms and she can feel her body begin to buzz with excitement.

“What did you have in mind?” Her voice is barely above a whisper and she can’t help herself when her eyes slide down to his lips. He smiles.

“You have a one tract mind, Princess.” He teases before he turns her around and wraps his arms around her waist. He starts trailing kisses along her neck and she leans her head to the side to give him better access.

“But I don’t seem to be wrong.” Her voice is higher and her chest is rising and falling quicker.

“Let’s go to bed, baby.” Bellamy takes her hand and leads her into the house and towards the room.

He presses her against the door as soon as it’s shut and her hands tangle themselves in his hair. She allows herself a moment to get lost in him before she tugs on his hair to pull him back a little. He pouts at her and she smiles.

“Five minutes?” She’s panting and as he pouts even more, she giggles.

“Why not now?”

“I have a surprise for you.” She winks at him before slipping out of his grip and heading towards the bathroom, but he grabs her hand and pulls her back into him, kissing her.

“Okay, but I have a surprise for you too.”

Her heartrate picks up and her mind starts working overtime at the thought of what his surprise could be. When she gets into the bathroom and locks the door, she’s not surprised to see her lips already beginning to swell and how disheveled her clothes and hair are.

She digs around in the hamper and pulls out a bag she had hidden there the day before and quickly changes out of her dress and into what she had planned. It’s a lacy, dark blue bra and panty set that she had seen in the mall one day when she went with Raven and she just _had_ to get it. The bra makes her boobs look fantastic and she likes how it’s semi-see-through. She also bought a silk robe to wear over it. She takes her hair out of the braid she had put it in and runs her fingers through it and cleans up her makeup a little. Usually, she wouldn’t sped _this_ much time getting ready for this, but it is a special occasion. _Damn, I look good_. Clarke takes one more look in the mirror before turning around and walking back into the bedroom.

Bellamy has outdone himself. In the small amount of time it took her to get ready, he had changed the bedroom into something out of a movie. There’s blue flower petals spread all about the room and dozens of candles that have been lit, but what really takes Clarke’s breath away is Bellamy standing a few feet from her, looking at her with so much heat in his eyes she’s pretty sure she’s going to melt.

He didn’t change out of his dark wash jeans or black button up that’s been rolled up to his elbows. There’s something about his forearms that drives her crazy. She bites her lip and smiles as she walks towards him. He follows her movements, taking her in as she gets closer to him. She can see his adam’s apple bob when she stops in front of him and she knows they’re about to have some fun.

“You. Are. Breathtaking.” Bellamy reaches out and wraps one hand around her waist while using the other one to hold the back of her head. “And you’re all mine.” Bellamy’s voice is rough as he presses her into him and leans down to kiss her. She moans into his mouth and he deepens the kiss even further.

“Careful, Mr. Blake,” Clarke is out of breath when they break apart, “someone might think you’re in love with me.”

“Oh, Princess, I’m planning on it.” Bellamy smirks before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers again. “Close your eyes.”

“Are you going to scare me?” Clarke quirks an eyebrow at him and his smirk turns into a grin.

“Princess.” Bellamy tilts his head to the side and gives her that wicked boyish grin she loves, and Clarke can feel her body heat up. She bites her lip and looks up at him, watching as his eyes darken before she closes her eyes. “Keep them closed.” Bellamy whispers into her ear before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She tries to listen to what he’s doing and she can hear the floorboards creak before soft music fills the air. _He’s going all out._ Her mind drifts back to Valentine’s Day and how he had gone all out then too. Clarke’s mind starts wandering at the possibilities of what Bellamy has planned. She can feel when he’s standing in front of her again because the floor shifts slightly, but there’s still a moment before he speaks.

“Open your eyes, Princess.”

Clarke hesitates before she opens her eyes, but when she opens them, her breath is taken away. Bellamy is kneeling before her with a box in his hands and a ring that’s absolutely stunning sitting inside it.

“ _Oh my god_ ,” she gasps. Bellamy’s eyes never leave hers as he holds the box with his left hand takes her left hand in his right. He hasn’t even said anything when she can feel tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

“Clarke—” he swallows and Clarke realizes that he’s getting emotional too. “Clarke, this past year has been the best year of my life and I want to have many more years with you. You’re my best friend, my confidant, the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of my life experiencing everything with you.” He rubs his thumb over the back of her hand. “Will you marry me, Clarke, and make me the happiest man on the planet?”

Clarke grins and nods her head, her heart threatening to pop out of her chest. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” Clarke squeals and Bellamy has a split second before Clarke launches herself at him. He chuckles as he catches her, standing up and wrapping both of his arms around her before he spins her around. When he sets her down, she wastes no time crashing her lips to his.

When they pull apart, Bellamy is grinning down at her and she feels her heart flip. He reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, running his thumb across her cheek as he does. He leans down and kisses her again.

“I love you, Bellamy,” she reaches up and runs both of her hands through his hair. “And I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you,” she smiles up at him.

“I love you too, Princess.” He leans down and kisses her again before grabbing her left hand and bringing it back down. “Now, I think this needs something.” He grins as he runs his thumb over her ring finger and gives her another kiss before taking the ring out of the box and slipping it on her. It’s a solitary diamond on a metal band and it looks exactly like the rings she used to look at when she was younger.

“Bellamy,” she can feels tears forming in her eyes again, “it’s beautiful.”

“But nothing will ever be as beautiful as you.” Bellamy leans down and kisses her again. She cups the side of his face with her ring hand and uses her other hand to tug at his black curls. A moan sounds from deep in his throat as he pulls her closer before leaning down and picking her up and walking over to the bed. She melts into him as he presses himself against her, the ring on her finger a weight that makes her heart soar every time it brushes her other fingers.

 

**_Six months later…_ **

Clarke wakes up to Raven, Octavia, Harper, Maya, and Emori bursting into her hotel room with the spare key Raven was given. Clarke groans and rolls over, pressing her face into her pillow. Even though she opted against going out for her bachelorette party, the movie night in with wine and her friends, she still has a headache.

“Wake the fuck up, Griffin!”

“That’s the last day you’ll be calling her that, Raven!” Clarke feels the bed shake as someone jumps onto it. “In a few hours she’ll be a Blake and my sister-in-law!” Clarke _oomphs_ as Octavia sprawls out on top of her.

“You’ll suffocate me before then.” Clarke grumbles into her pillow and tries to roll over but she’s being smushed.

“Come on, O, if you kill her before she walks down the aisle Bellamy will be upset.” Harper laughs and then Clarke can feel Octavia being hauled off her.

“I need water and Tylenol.” Clarke rolls over and rubs her hands over her face.

“Here, drink up.” Emori thrusts a cup of water at her while Maya hands her the medicine.

“We have work to do.”

Clarke looks at her friends and a huge smile spreads across her face and she can feel giggles beginning to rise in her chest. _I’m getting married today._

 

Having so many girls getting ready in the same room could lead to problems but, surprisingly, they’re all able to get ready with a little bit of time to spare. Clarke was sat down first while Octavia went to work on her makeup and Maya started on her hair, since it was her day after all. Then Emori took the job of making sure everyone had enough champagne between helping Harper get Clarke’s dress ready.

Octavia had decided against putting anything on Clarke’s lips for the time being since Clarke told her that there was good chance she’d end up eating something before she walked down the aisle. Sure enough, as soon as Octavia called done on the rest of her makeup, there was a knock on her door.

“You’re not the groom are you?” Harper calls as she walks towards the door. “Because, Bellamy, I swear—”

“It’s the bridesman!” A male voice calls from the other side of the door and Clarke smiles as Harper opens the door. Wells is standing in the hallway with his slacks and dress shirt on and two McDonald’s bags in one of his hands and Madi holding onto the other. “I come bearing gifts.”

“Mama!” Madi catches sight of Clarke immediately and runs into the room.

“Hey baby! I missed you!” Clarke leans down just in time for Madi to hurtle herself into her and Clarke laughs as she brings her daughter up into her lap. “Oh, my darling.” Clarke peppers Madi’s face with kisses, causing her to laugh.

“You look pretty, mama.” Madi holds Clarke’s face between her two hands. “Princess.”

“I think _you’re_ a princess.” Clarke gives Madi another hug and she giggles before sliding out of her lap and walking towards Raven to give her a hug before greeting everyone else.

“And to think, you were the same girl who used to rub mud on her face and run around screaming she was the mud monster when we were three.” Wells grins as he hands over one of the McDonald’s bags. “You look beautiful, Clarke.” He leans down and gives her a kiss on the cheek.

“I can’t believe you still remember that.” Clarke swats at her friends shoulder and he laughs. “Oh my god, you brought me chicken nuggets.” She pulls a ten piece out of the bag and grins. “I knew there was a reason why you’re my best friend.”

“You just keep me around because I buy you food.” Wells teases and he hands the other bag to Raven. “More food where that came from.”

“Wells Jaha, you spoil us.” Raven grins as she pulls out her own chicken nuggets and hands the bag over to Maya.

“Where’s my darling girl?” Abby’s voice rings in from the hallway and Wells moves to answer it. “Oh, Clarke.” Abby immediately starts dabbing at her eyes as she makes her way towards her daughter.

“Mom, I don’t even have my hair done yet,” Clarke laughs as she hugs her mom.

“Oh I know, I know.” She smiles. “Now, what else do we have to do?”

 

Clarke watches as Maya and Jasper start the procession down the aisle and she feels like her heart is about to beat out of her chest. They’re followed by Harper and Monty, then Emori and Murphy, Raven and Miller, then Wells and Octavia; Clarke and Bellamy’s man and maid of honor respectively. Then Madi, dressed in white like her mom, walks in as the flower girl with August walking beside her as the ring bearer.

“Are you ready, honey?” Abby squeezes Clarke’s arm and Clarke is snapped out of her thoughts as she looks over at her mom.

“As I’ll ever be.” Clarke smiles. She has to focus on not tripping over her dress, but the excitement she feels as she reaches the doors makes her grin even more.

Everyone stands as she and her mom enter, but all Clarke can look at is the beautiful man standing at the other end of the aisle. Bellamy’s golden skin looks like it’s glowing and his black tux makes his hair look even darker. Madi is standing beside Wells with the biggest smile on her face and Bellamy smiles too.

The music starts and Clarke is propelled forward with the need to be with Bellamy and her mom’s hand guiding her towards him. She knew that walking this slow was going to be torturous for her, but she keeps reminding herself that it’ll all be worth it in the end.

After what seems like an eternity, Abby is kissing her on the cheek and telling her she loves her before Clarke goes to stand in front of Bellamy. She realized that had started crying about halfway down the aisle and now that she’s close to Bellamy, she can see he’s crying too. Clarke smiles then turns, handing Wells her bouquet and motioning for Madi to come stand next to her. She and Bellamy had decided that Madi was going to stand next to her mom and dad while they exchanged vows, because this was the day their little family was going to be united permanently.

“You look beautiful, Princess.” Bellamy whispers and it makes Clarke blush. _A year and a half and I’m still blushing_. “And so do you, darlin’.” He smiles down at Madi.

“Thanks, daddy.” Madi smiles up at him.

The priest clears his throat and Clarke and Bellamy straighten, trying not to laugh at the fact that they had both been slouching in front of all their guests.

“Ladies and gentlemen we are gathered here today…”

Clarke knows she should be paying more attention to what’s being said, but she’s lost in Bellamy’s brown eyes and the adorable smile plastered across his face. She didn’t think her heart was capable of expanding anymore than it already had, but standing there with the love of her life and their daughter, she realizes she couldn’t have been more wrong.

“—The couple have prepared their own vows.” Clarke is taken out of her daydream as the priest looks towards Bellamy. He clears his throat and Clarke can see a slight blush creep onto his cheeks.

“Clarke, a year and a half ago, almost to the day, I was sitting in the airport when a little girl came up to me asking if I could help her find her mom.” He smiles down at Madi. “Little did I know I was about to meet the most amazing woman I had ever met in my life. You are the other half of me. You’re stubborn, and can be heard headed at times,” everyone laughed but Clarke could hear Wells over all the others, “but you are strong, and intelligent, and the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. You’re my best friend, my soulmate, the person I want to have by my side for the rest of my life and if there’s life after death then I want to experience that with you too.

“And, Madi,” Bellamy turns to the little girl and kneels, taking her hand in his. Clarke knew he was planning to do this, but watching it play out in front of her makes her cry even harder. “I asked you six months ago if I could marry your mom and you said yes, and now I’ve just made a vow to your mom but I’m also making a vow to you. I promise love you and help guide you through life and help you become the amazing woman I know you’ll be.” Bellamy pauses and looks up at Clarke, making her laugh before turning back to Madi. “You asking me to be your dad was one of the happiest days of my life and, today, it’s official.”

Bellamy stands, looking at Clarke and Madi. “I promise to love you both, and cherish you both, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long I live. Until death do us part.”

Clarke is pretty sure she’s putting Octavia’s waterproof mascara through the ultimate durability test right now but she honestly couldn’t care less if there were mascara streaks on her face. After Bellamy’s vows, she expects it.

“Bellamy, you came into my life during a time when I wasn’t looking for a relationship. I had been told that finding someone as a single mother would be near impossible, and then I met the most amazing man inside of an airport of all places,” everyone laughs and it makes Clarke smiles even wider. “I had never seen Madi take to someone so quickly, and if it wasn’t for her we never would’ve met.” Clarke smiles down at her daughter. “You are the most caring, funny, and overall most perfect human being I have ever laid my eyes on. I fell in love with you the moment I met you and it’s an honor to be able to call you my husband. You’re my best friend, my rock, my soulmate, and the person I want to spend the rest of my life experiencing everything with you by my side. I promise to love you, and cherish you, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for as long as I live. Until death do us part.”

Clarke turns to Madi. “Madi, did you want to say something?”

Madi grins and nods her head before walking towards Bellamy as he kneels down and takes her hand again. _He wasn’t expecting this_. “Daddy, I love you and I’m happy you and mommy are going to be together forever and I’m happy you’re going to be my daddy forever.” Madi lets go of Clarke’s hand and wraps her arms around Bellamy’s neck. Clarke watches as more tears fall from Bellamy’s eyes as he hugs their daughter back.

There’s a chorus of _aws_ from the room and Clarke has to keep herself from laughing at how hard Jasper is crying, but she’s crying too. _Same Jasper. Same_.

“Now, Bellamy Blake, do you take Clarke Griffin to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.”

“Clarke Griffin do you take Bellamy Blake to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.”

“And Madi Griffin, do you take Bellamy Blake to be your dad?”

“I already said I did.” Madi gives the older man a confused look and Clarke and Bellamy bust out laughing. Then they both exchange their rings.

“Then, by the power vested in me I declare you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Bellamy’s face lights up and he bends down to swing Madi into his arms before wrapping his free hand around Clarke’s waist and crashing his lips to hers. Madi laughs and there’s cheers erupting all around them.

“Thank you for giving the best thing I could ever ask for, Princess.”

“And what’s that my beautiful husband?” Clarke smiles up at him.

“Being able to call the two of you my beautiful family.”

 _Yep, I’m crying again_. Clarke gives Bellamy another kiss before she takes her bouquet from Wells and moves to Bellamy’s left side. Before they start down the stairs, Bellamy and Clarke each kiss Madi’s cheeks at the same time, causing her to giggle. They look at each other, grinning, before starting towards the doors.

 

“I have been looking forward to this speech since the day these two met.” Raven grins at Clarke and Bellamy and Clarke can’t help but feel like this speech is going to be one for the history books in terms of how much Raven embarrasses  her. “I’ve known Clarke for nearly five years now, but the way in which we met was not the best, as some of you know, but over those years I’ve found that Clarke is one of the strongest, most intelligent, and down right gorgeous woman I know. There have been times where someone else would have buckled under some of the pressure she’s experienced, but she’s never let that stop her from being an amazing woman and an all-around amazing mother.

“I knew Bellamy before Clarke did, but when I was told that they had met I wasn’t surprised. There’s something about the two of you,” Raven turns to face them, “that makes me believe there was always going to be something that led you two to find one another. You’re both intelligent, and smart, and where one lacks, the other fills it. The two of you compliment each other perfectly, the head,” she nods to Clarke, “and the heart,” she smirks at Bellamy. “I couldn’t imagine a better fit for either of you. I love you both and I can’t wait to see where life takes the two of you because I know it’s going to be one hell of a ride.” Raven raises her glass and everyone else follows suit. “But, Bellamy Blake, if you do absolutely anything—”

“ _Raven._ ” Clarke gives her friend a look. Clarke and Bellamy had talked to everyone who was going to give a speech and told them no threatening the new couple, but Raven had a few drinks before it was her turn to talk.

Raven gives her a wolfish grin. “To Bellamy and Clarke!”

“To Bellamy and Clarke!”

A few more of their friends give speeches before it’s time for the first dance between Clarke and Bellamy. He takes her hand and guides her to the dance floor and she immediately lays her head on his chest. She’s been waiting to get this close to him and a hum comes from deep in her throat. Neither of them talk as Bellamy guides her around the floor, and it’s perfect. When the song comes to an end, Bellamy tips her chin up and kisses her before they go to Madi and bring her in for the next dance.

The rest of the reception goes by with tons of laughing, smiling, and toasts being made. Bellamy never quits touching Clarke and eventually she just says screw a chair and sits in his lap. She grins at him and he beams up at her, tightening his arm around her waist.

He looks so relaxed and happy it makes Clarke’s heart feel like it’s going to burst out of her chest with how much love it’s filled with.

 

“Finally, I get you all to myself,” Clarke purrs as she wraps her arms around Bellamy’s neck.

“We’re not even in the house yet, Princess.” Bellamy smiles as he leads Clarke towards the front door of his house.

“Mmm…no one is home.” Clarke starts pressing open mouth kisses to Bellamy’s neck, loving the sounds coming from deep within his throat. Bellamy turns and moves his hand into her hair, pulling it back so he can kiss her. Clarke moans into his mouth before he pulls away.

“Since this is the first night of you being my wife, I’d like to do you in an actual bed instead of outside on my porch, baby.” He kisses her cheek. “Maybe another night.”

Clarke hums at the thought of that while Bellamy unlocks the door. She watches as he swings the door open then turns towards her, picking her up before walking across the threshold with her. Clarke can’t help the giggles that bubble up in her chest and she doesn’t stop until Bellamy sets her down in his bedroom. _Our bedroom?_

“Now, Mrs. Blake, let’s get you out of this dress.” Bellamy leans down and kisses her while his hands move to the lace at her back. “God, I’ve been waiting for this since I saw you at the end of the aisle.”

“Careful, Mr. Blake, someone might think you’re in love with me.” Clarke teases as she starts trailing kisses down his neck again. Bellamy pulls back and kisses her again.

“Oh, baby, I’d be worried if they didn’t.” He gives her his boyish grin before he begins slipping her dress down her body. “I love you, Clarke Blake.”

“And I love you, Bellamy Blake.”

_Forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! I'm crying at it being over (for now) but we will have a Bellamy POV coming soon :) A big thank you to everyone who's read this fic, and commented, and bookmarked, and given kudos, I hope this fic made you happy as you read it because it certainly made me happy when I wrote it <3 I'm not sure when the first Bellamy POV will be coming but it shouldn't be too far away :) Thank you thank you thank you! 
> 
> I hope you liked it!  
> x
> 
> P.S. I haven't been to a wedding since I was like 3 so I have no idea how exactly things go at one lol but I tried my best

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Twitter (@xfanwonderlandx) and on tumblr (@xxawalkinwonderlandxx)!


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